


Second Chances

by Funby57



Series: The Orton-Reigns Family [3]
Category: World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Alternate Universe - Foster Family, Dean Ambrose is a little shit, F/F, F/M, Foster Care, Kid Bayley, Kid Cm Punk, Kid Cody Rhodes, Kid Dean Ambrose, Kid Paige, Kid Seth Rollins, M/M, Minor Violence, Miz Kevin and Dolph are bullies, Nightmares, Parent Randy Orton, Parent Roman Reigns, Past Child Abuse, Randy and Roman are struggling but trying their best, past child sexual abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-01
Updated: 2020-09-10
Packaged: 2021-02-25 17:16:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 33
Words: 53,046
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22499674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Funby57/pseuds/Funby57
Summary: After the events of "Broken Faith," the Orton-Reigns family are all struggling individually. How will Randy and Roman deal with all of their kids' problems, plus their own?
Relationships: Antonio Cesaro/Becky Lynch, Carmella/Colin Cassady, Edge/Lita (Professional Wrestling), Nikki Bella/John Cena, Randy Orton/Roman Reigns, Sonya Deville/Mandy Rose
Series: The Orton-Reigns Family [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1601254
Comments: 65
Kudos: 71





	1. The Voicemail

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome back! :) To start off, updates will not be everyday, as this story is not fully written. I changed a bunch of shit so I literally only have about five chapters written right now. Updates will be once or twice a week. Also, I will actually be responding to comments this time, so go nuts lol. Anyways, enjoy the start of this sequel! The first couple chapters will be slow before the action begins :)

Randy should have known.

  
He should have known that once the nightmares came back, so would Cody's tantrums. He and Roman honestly thought they were done with that stage. _Apparently not._ Randy sighed as he watched his six-year-old cry while holding a tub of Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey ice cream. "We got ice cream yesterday," the older man stressed, crossing his arms. "I'm not getting that." "But I wanna try it!" Cody cried harder, shoving the ice cream up to Randy. "Please! I want it!" Randy huffed. How _did I get stuck taking him grocery shopping before his nap?_ "No. Now put it back." That only caused the little boy to stomp his foot in protest. "Why? I wanna try it!" Randy decided to take matters into his own hands...literally. He took the ice cream from Cody's hands and put it back in the freezer. "I already told you no." Cody at this point had thrown himself to the floor and started to cry harder, his little hands in fists. This of course caused onlookers to glance over. Randy groaned and knelt down, lifting the little boy back to his feet. "I said no. We're not getting it because there is ice cream at home." "But-" "No, I'm talking right now. Your tantrum that just happened is not acceptable behavior. That is not how we act in a store. When I tell you something, you need to listen to me." Cody hiccupped and nodded, a few stray tears sliding down his cheeks. Randy then reached in the cart and pulled out an Avengers coloring book. "Because of how you acted, you won't be getting this either." The older man desperately wanted to look away at the heartbroken glance Cody gave him but held his ground. "No, none of that. You didn't listen to me and decided to throw a tantrum, so you're not getting it. This is your punishment" Cody let out a choked sob but nodded. "I-I'm sorry Daddy." Randy sighed. "I hope you learned your lesson," Randy said, handing the book over to the little boy. "Let's go put that back." The walk back to the book section was gloomy. Randy could tell Cody was upset but these were the rules set by himself and Roman. Cody sadly set the coloring book back on the right shelf. Turning around, he squeezed his small hands over his shirt. "I'm sorry." "It's okay," Randy mumbled, kneeling once again. "When I say no, that means no. You need to leave it at that and not argue. Understand?" Cody sniffled and raised his arms. Randy hesitated for a second. This was another thing and Roman had tried to work on: Cody asking to be carried. He's six now, and they knew that they couldn't hold him in theirs arms forever. They tried to limit it. But Randy knew that his little boy was overly tired since it was past his usual naptime. He decided to ignore the rule, just for today. He lifted Cody into his arms and almost immediately his little boy laid his head on his shoulder. Randy smiled and kissed his head, pushing the cart down the aisle and toward the checkout line. Randy hummed softly and swayed side-to-side as they waited, Cody slowly starting to doze off. "Sleepy Daddy," he mumbled, turning his head so it was pressed against Randy's neck. "Shh," the older man cooed as he started loading a couple groceries onto the checkout counter. "You can go to sleep baby. I'll be here." It took several minutes before Randy could pay for the small batch of groceries. By then, Cody had dozed off, one fist clutching the back of Randy's shirt. Thank God they bag the groceries for us, Randy thought as pocketed his wallet. Putting the bags back into the cart, he thanked the cashier and walked outside to his car with the groceries. Getting into the driver's seat, he adjusted his mirror and smiled at his youngest son. "Absolutely adorable," he mumbled to himself, starting the car. 

  
Out in the street, Bayley calmly rode her scooter around while trying to avoid Seth on his bike...with Dean attached behind by a jump-rope, riding on Seth's long-board. Roman didn't really approve of said activity, but he knew he couldn't protect his kids forever, so he just let it happen while he organized boxes in their garage. "Bayley...Bayley! Look out!" Of course, something had to go wrong. The Samoan man quickly turned around just in time to see his oldest son collide front first into his only daughter. Bayley unfortunately took all the impact. "Shit." Roman dropped the box he was holding and raced across the street to where his baby girl was crying. Seth had jumped off his bike and beat him there. "Bayley! I'm so sorry!" Dean said while gripping his shoulder. Bayley only cried harder, holding her lower back. "You okay sweetheart?" Roman mumbled, tucking her hair behind her ear. Bayley sniffled and shook her head. "My b-back hurts." "It'll probably bruise," Roman responded, looking up at his two older boys. Dean glanced at his little sister. "I'm sorry Bayley. I didn't mean to run into you." "It was my fault," Seth said, nudging Dean slightly. "I was the one steering the bike. I'm sorry." Roman sighed softly. He honestly couldn't be angry with them, especially since it WAS an accident. Seth couldn't have known how far Dean was going to go and Dean obviously couldn't have known that Bayley would end up in that exact same spot as him. Roman helped Bayley stand up and rubbed her back softly. "It's okay boys, it was an accident," he said eventually. "How about we find something else to do, yeah? Something safer." Both boys nodded and gave Bayley a hug, which she gratefully accepted. Seth and Dean then picked up the bike, longboard and the scooter and put them back into the moving truck before searching for something else to play with. Roman thumbed Bayley's tears and smiled softly. "You okay?" She wiped her own eyes and sniffled. "I'm okay Papa." "Want to go sit down for a bit?" Bayley nodded and took his hand, walking back across the street and into the garage. She sat down in a stray chair and watched Roman work for a bit before Seth and Dean came over. "Wanna play Candy Land with us?" Seth asked, he and Dean sitting in front of Bayley. She gave them a smirk and sat on the floor. "Only if you're ready for me to kick your butts." "Oh, it's on!" Dean called out, dumping out the contents of the board game. Roman smiled as he watched the three of his kids happily enjoying playing together; it almost made him forget about the last couple nights. Cody has woken up from nightmares of _that_ day more than once. The little boy had resigned back to his old self (minus the not talking part) and it was honestly a little worrying on his part. He and Randy had worked _so hard_ to break him out of his shell, only for it to go to shit because of Grace and David. Roman sneered at the thought of them. _Assholes_. Shaking his head, Roman focused back on organizing the garage to prepare for moving day. Roman grinned at that. In two days, the family will be moving into a new home, closer to the kid's school, which means they could walk there if they wanted to, (though he and Randy were still talking about that one). Plus, there are a lot more kids in their new neighborhood for them to play with. To say the least, the family is excited. Roman just finished stacking the last box into the U-Haul when Randy's car pulled up. All three kids got up and ran toward him, immediately telling him about the bike-scooter-long board incident as if no one had gotten hurt when it happened (Roman could feel the lecture he knew he was going to hear tonight). He walked down the ramp of the truck and across the lawn to Randy, greeting him with a kiss and a grimace. "I can explain." "Later," Randy huffed, but gave him a small grin to let his husband know that he wasn't angry. Roman chuckled at that. "So, I got enough groceries to last us the next two days until we move out. Food prep will be limited and so will the dishes," Randy grinned, putting Seth, Dean and Bayley on grocery duty. They complained and whined but one look from Roman made them shut up and complete their small chore. "Cody threw a tantrum at the grocery store," Randy said before his husband could say anything else. "Over ice cream." "Seriously? That's the third one today and it's not even two!" Randy only shrugged and unbuckled the six-year-old, lifting him into his arms. Cody shifted slightly from being moved, but then settled down. "I think this one may have been because he was tired, but the other two earlier this morning? I don't know." Roman leaned over and ran his fingers through Cody's hair before kissing the sleeping boy's cheek. "We'll talk to him when he wakes up."

  
Cody's mood didn't improve.

  
It got worse, actually. It got so bad that after dinner, Randy had to excuse himself to sit in the backyard on the deck to calm himself down. He knew it wasn't Cody's fault. The nightmares and lack of sleep was getting to him but still, it didn't mean it didn't irritate him to no end. Randy groaned and rubbed his temples, breathing deeply. To be honest, Cody wasn't the only reason why he was irritated. What really caused him to be moody the past couple of days happened to me his own personal problems that he should really tell someone about (specifically Roman, since this might affect their family). But he wasn't ready. Not yet at least. Pulling out his phone, he pulled up his call-log and hesitantly clicked on the last voicemail, swallowing hard.

  
_"Hi Randy. Its, um... its Elaine here, your Mom. So, uh, your Father and I have been talking lately and... I know we haven't spoken to you since you eloped with Roman nearly twelve years ago but we...I think we should sit down and talk, ya know? It has been awhile, and some hurtful things were said, and we just want to see you again, see how you're doing. I know you still talk to your cousins; they give us updates on you and your family. We... *sigh* We miss you. We miss you so much. I hope you visit us. We still have family dinners every Sunday if you're up for it. I hope to see you soon. I... I love you._

  
That message was sent nearly a month ago. He still didn't have the guts to drive to his parents' house to see them. They basically banished him for their home after he told them he was gay. He sneered, almost shattering his cellphone screen. The hurtful words came from their mouths, not his. 25-year-old Randy had to endure that hatred with an equally solemn 20-year-old Roman by his side. His own parents made his fiancé cry. That night, he walked out that door and never looked back. The next day, he and Roman got married at the courthouse. They then waited until Roman was done with law school to move away from Jefferson City to St. Louis. "Best decision I've ever made," he spat bitterly, shoving his phone back into his hoodie. Just then, the back door slid opened and Roman stepped out onto the porch. "Randy? You okay?" "Fine," he mumbled, which was far from the truth. Roman sat next to him on the stairs and pulled his husband close, whispering in his ear. "Wanna try that again?" Randy huffed out a laugh and leaned against his husband. "My...my Mom called me last month." He felt Roman stiffen. "I didn't pick up, since it was an unknown number at the time, but she left a voice mail. She and my Dad want to talk." The Samoan man remained silent for several minutes before speaking up. "Whatever you choose to do, I'll support you." Shocked, Randy sat up to look his husband in the face. "Y-you're serious? What about at that shit they said? Especially about you?" Roman pressed his forehead against Randy and kissed him softly. "I came out to my parents Sophomore year of high school. They immediately accepted me for who I was. But...my Grandpa on my Father's side did not. Just like some parents, he said some hurtful crap too. He called me during my Freshman year of college, but I didn't answer. I wasn't ready to talk to him because it still hurt. But that next year, he was involved in a car accident. He was dying. I dropped everything to go see him. And you want to know what his last words to me were?" Roman swallowed hard, gripping Randy on the sides of his face gently. "He told me that he wanted to apologize to me a year before, for all the crap that went down when I came out to my parents. He finally accepted me for who I was, and he didn't mean to make me feel unloved. He died that night, and I felt like utter shit. I had the chance to bond with my Grandfather one last time before God decided it was time for him to go, but I let my feelings get the best of me." Roman sniffled, smiling slightly as a single tear trailed down his cheek. "My point is, your parents may have hurt you, but they want to apologize to you now. They miss you, Randy, they want to see you again. Take the chance before it's too late." Randy pressed his lips against Roman for a couple seconds before pulling him into a tight hug. It has been awhile since he'd seen his husband cry, and it was breaking his heart. "You know I love you right?" he mumbled a couple minutes later, pulling back from the hug. Roman smiled. "I know. I love you too." Randy kissed him one last time before standing up, dusting off his sweatpants. "I'm sorry about you Grandpa Roman. I... I'm going to take your advice and call my Mom tomorrow." Roman grinned and squeezed Randy's hand, guiding him back inside. "That's what I like to hear."


	2. Help Wanted

_Dean is not okay._

  
He may be able to fool his family and friends, but he is silently suffering. The nightmares of that night are keeping him up. He purposely stays up until about 4am, just so he can't sleep long enough for the night terrors to resurface. He's been sleep deprived for days but kept himself busy by helping Randy and Roman with the moving process and playing with his siblings. Now though, the lack of sleep was catching up with him. Randy, Seth and Bayley were dropping off some small bits of furniture at the new house, leaving him, Cody and Roman at home. Dean glanced at Cody as the little boy absentmindedly drank apple juice while watching The Amazing World of Gumball on the one remaining tv in the house. He had himself propped up on a bunch of pillows, one arm resting behind his head. Now that Dean thought about it, his younger brother seemed to be focused on fighting sleep rather than actually watching the show. He sighed and focused back on his DS game. Cody hasn't been in the best of moods the past week but at least he's had Randy and Roman to comfort him. Dean went around and said, "I'm okay," when he really isn't. He didn't want to seem like a baby to his new Dads, so he just kept his fears to himself. He knew it was a bad idea, but he's TEN-years-old, he should be able to handle his own problems. Plus, Cody just _had_ to be hurting worse than him, so he made sure Randy and Roman's attention were focused on comforting Cody while he just blended into the background, pretending everything was okay.

  
Even though it totally wasn't.

  
Cody was startled awake by whimpering; not his own, from Dean. Quickly sitting up, he rubbed his eyes and glanced at his brother. Dean was laying on his side, but his eyebrows were furrowed in a deep frown, his fingers twitching anxiously. "I'm...I'm sorry Mommy...David...don't hurt me," he mumbled helplessly. Cody crawled over and shook the older boy's shoulder. "Dean? Dean! Wake up!" But he didn't. Instead, he shifted away from Cody's touch, flinching immensely. "No...no, I'm sorry. Please...don't hurt him." Cody's chest heaved in panic as he frantically tried to shake his brother awake. "Wake up! WAKE UP!" Dean sat up almost immediately, gasping for breath. He looked around and his eyes landed on his younger brother. "C-Cody?" The little boy nodded and hugged him around his neck. Dean hugged him back. "You had a scary dream," Cody mumbled, standing up to his feet. "I'll go get Papa." "No!" Dean suddenly shouted, pulling Cody's wrist. "N-no, please. I'm fine now. Don't get Papa." Cody sat back down next to him. "Why not? Daddy and Papa make me feel better after a scary dream." "I..." Dean stopped, looking down at his lap. He didn't have a real reason to not tell Roman, well, not a good one anyway. "Because I'm not a baby," he huffed out suddenly. "If I go to Dad or Papa crying over a dream that isn't true, they'll see me as a baby, and that isn't true." Cody frowned. "Am...am I a baby? For having scary dreams?" Dean's eyes widened. Shit. "N-no! I didn't mean it like that! I... look Cody, your life was worse than mine, so you have the right to have nightmares. I don't. You're not a baby Cody." The little boy gave him a look that read whatever, then gave Dean another hug. "Are you sure you don't want to tell Papa? Him and Daddy give me hugs and kisses to make the dreams not so scary anymore." Dean sighed softly. "I'm sure Cody. Can you just...lay down with me please?" Cody nodded and laid down next to Dean, pulling the small blanket over their bodies. Once settled, Cody lifted his head and kissed Dean's cheek before closing his eyes. Dean smiled softly and pulled Cody closer to him. He knew his younger brother would always have his back.

  
As cute as the little exchanged between Dean and Cody was, Roman couldn't believe what he overheard. His oldest son has been suffering in silence for weeks but refused to speak up because he wanted to seem mature in front of Randy and himself. Shaking his head, he quietly walked back to the garage to finish moving boxes onto the moving truck. He'll talk to Randy about it later tonight.

  
Randy felt bad about dragging Seth and Bayley back and forth to the new house to drop off furniture, so he decided to take them to a park since they were good sports about the whole thing. He laughed slightly as he watched them play a game they called "Monster" (Cody and Dean usually played also). Basically, one person was 'it' and had to try to tag the other players while remaining on the ground; said players had to stay on the play structure. Seth is currently the Monster. Tearing his eyes away, he glanced down at his phone that has been in his hand for about ten minutes now. He told Roman that he would call his Mother back, but honestly, he wasn't so sure if he really wanted to. "Penny for your thoughts?" Someone said from behind Randy, causing the tattooed man to let at a tiny squeak. "Jesus man," he said turning around to see a man with long, blonde hair and an amused smirk on his face. "What, did I scare ya?" Randy rolled his eyes, glancing back at his phone. "No. Not to be rude, but who are you?" The man tucked his hair behind his ear and walked to the front of the bench. "Adam. My family and I just moved from Fort Lauderdale, Florida." Holding out his hand, Randy stared at it before grasping it in his own, shaking it firmly. "I'm Randy." "Nice to meet you. You never did answer my question." "No offense, but it's not really any of your business." "I understand, but I know that look on your face." "Look? What look?" "Well," Adam started, sitting next to Randy on the bench. "You look conflicted and determined, yet angry, all at the same time. And I bet it is because of someone who has hurt you in the past? A family member maybe?" Randy's eyes went wide. "What...what the fu-" "I'm a child phycologist and a therapist, I know these things. I promise I'm not a stalker." The tattooed man blew out a breath, causing Adam to laugh. "God man, you seriously freaked me out a bit." "So... I was right?" Sighing, Randy nodded his head. "I know we literally just met, but from that phone in your hand, I predict you're having problems reconnecting with said family member. I don't know the situation, but I think you should call them, just to get it over with." Randy remained silent for a long while, his thumb hovering over his Mother's number. _He's right. I can't sulk around, trying to avoid it._ "You said your family just moved here?" Adam nodded. "So that means you have kids, right?" "Uh...yes?" Adam sat up a little straighter. Randy chuckled at this. "Relax blondie, I was just going to ask to watch my kids while I make this phone call." Adam huffed and mumbled, "Yeah whatever. My daughters are playing with your son and daughter anyway." Glancing back up at the playground, he discovered that Adam was once again correct. Seth just so happened to still be the Monster (go figure) but now, a girl with blonde hair, and another girl, about Cody's height with dark brown hair have joined the game. Giving Adam a nod, Randy got up and walked across an open field and leaned against a tree. His fingers shook as he pressed his Mom's number. _Come on Randy, you can do this._

  
"Hello? Randy?" "...Hi Mom." "Oh my God! You called! You actually called!" "I..." Randy swallowed the lump around his throat. "I had some encouragement." "I'm really happy you decided to call Randall, I really am." His mom sounded like she was on the verge of crying. "H-how have you been? If you don't mind me asking." Randy pondered how much he should tell her. It's been twelve years; does she need to know everything? "It's um...it's been good Mom. Roman and I got married, he's a successful lawyer now. I recently scored a five-year long contract to develop the Old Navy website, so that's cool," he shrugged, kicking the tree gently. "We adopted a girl and a boy almost three years ago, and now Roman and I are in the middle of adopting two more boys-" He stopped when he heard his Elaine sniffle over the phone. "Oh Randall, I'm so proud of you. I wish your Father and I would have been there." "Well, can't change the past now. What's done is done," Randy snapped, all that anger rushed through his veins once again. The fact that his Mother was about to cry over HER mistakes pissed him off for some reason. "Why did it take you so long for you to call me?" "You could have called too-" "The reason why you had to leave a voicemail last month is because I didn't recognize the number; that means you changed it!" Randy squeezed his eyes shut, trying to calm down. "You really didn't want to talk to me again, did you?" Silence. "At the time no," Elaine answered honestly. "But after several months, your Father and I realized that you are still our son, and we shouldn't have casted you aside like that." "Twelve years Mom? You two waited twelve years?" "It wasn't until two years ago that we finally accepted you for who you are. We couldn't work up the nerve to call you, but then one day last month, I thought 'screw it,' and called anyway. The worst you could have done was hang up as soon as you figured out it was me on the phone." Randy rubbed his temples as her words sunk it. "It still took you ten years to accept me for who I am?" He asked quietly. His Mother sniffled again. "W-we're ashamed, but yes, yes it did. We want you in our life again Randall, we miss you, so damn much. Will you come to dinner this Sunday? You can bring Roman too because God knows your Father and I have some apologizing to do." "What about my kids?" "I'm not going to force you to bring you children and meet the Grandparents they never knew about until they're ready. Baby steps, okay? I really want this to work out." Randy had to agree with her on that one. His kids weren't going to meet his parents until his Mother and Father earned that right. "I'll come, but I won't be bringing Roman. Not yet, at least." "Oh, wonderful!" Elaine said, suddenly sounding cheerful. "We usually eat around 6:30, is that alright?" "That works Mom." "Good. Your cousins won't be coming, since your Father and I want to talk to you one-on-one." Randy mentally sighed in relief. He loved his cousins, he really, but they are NOSY. He didn't really want his business out there yet. A quiet, "I love you," from his Mother interrupted him out of his thoughts. He froze, squeezing the phone in his hand. He didn't react this way hearing it over the voicemail, but now that he heard it live...he didn't know what to do. He decided to respond with, "See you on Sunday," before hanging up. Sliding his phone back into his pocket and rubbed his eyes with shaky fists. _Calm down, calm down. You have five days to prepare for this dinner. It'll be okay._ He shook his head as he walked back to Adam, greeting the blond man with a punch in the shoulder. "Hey, thanks for watching my kids." Adam smiled. "No problem. We should set up a playdate with them." "Yeah, that'll be great. I have two boys at home with my husband, ten and five." Randy eyed Adam after he so blatantly implied, he was gay, but the man didn't react. Instead, he responded with, "I have a ten-year-old son at home with my wife. We should totally plan this out." The tattooed man smiled a silent victory. He knew he shouldn't worry what people thought of him being married to a man (especially since its fricken 2018) but he has a family. Whatever or whoever hurts him, will hurt them too. The two men exchanged numbers before saying goodbye. Moments later, Randy was ambushed by his two bubbly kids once he called them over to leave. All they spoke about (well, more like yelled) were the two girls at the playground, Kaitlyn and April, who insisted on going by AJ. He beamed at this. No matter how complicated life got, he could always count on his kids to cheer him up. "You guys ready to move into the new how tomorrow?" He asked as he started the car. The explosive hollering, he got caused him to chuckle softly. _You got this Randy._  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Any guesses who Adam's wife and son are at home? I'm pretty excited for those two to show up later in the story ;)


	3. New Home

As many times as Bayley has been to the new house with her fathers, she has never actually been inside. Every time they dropped something off, it was stored in the moving pod that is sitting in the driveway. Pulling up to the house, she held in her laugh as Cody pressed his face against the window, mouth dropped down in awe. "Daddy...Daddy this house is bigger!" He squealed, accidentally kicking the back of Randy's seat. Randy chuckled at their excited cheers as he parked in front of the house, watching Roman pulling into the driveway with the moving truck. "Daddy, can we see inside now? I wanna see my room!" "In a minute little man, okay? We have to get the keys from Papa first." As soon as Randy finished his sentence, Bayley unbuckled her seatbelt, hopped out of the car, and raced across the front lawn to the moving truck. Roman stepped out, followed by Dean and then Seth on the other side. "Papa, Daddy said we can see our rooms, but we have to get the keys from you first. Can I have the keys? Please?" She bounced in place as she impatiently waited for his answer. Roman dug in his pocket and handed it to her. "Of course, but give it to Dad so he can unlock the door, okay?" "Thank you!" She called over her shoulder, skipping back over to her Daddy who was helping a squirming Cody out of his booster seat. "I got it!" She said, opening her hand to show him the key. Randy shut the door then took it from her. "Go get your brothers, then we will go inside." Cody and Bayley raced each other back to the moving truck. "Sethie! Deanie! We get to go see our rooms!" Cody cheered, wrapping his arms around Dean's waist. Seth rubbed his hands together and grinned. "Papa said our rooms are way bigger than our old ones, and we get a bigger playroom." Bayley's eyes widened. "Do you think they will put a tv in there?" "That would be so cool. We can play our video games in there," Dean mumbled, poking Cody in the cheek and smiling at the giggle he received. "Hey kiddos! You guys ready to go in or what?" Randy called from the porch, laughing as all four of his kids came charging towards him. Roman opted to unpack the truck instead, since he and Randy have already seen inside before. Upon entering the mcmansion style home, Randy grinned at the collective gasps from the kids. "How many floors does this house have?" Dean wondered, staring at the small staircase that lead to the upper level, and another that lead down below. "Three," the older man answered. "This house has a finished basement, which is where the playroom will be, and yours and Seth's room." Seth, Cody and Bayley immediately rushed to the lower level, cheering at how much bigger their new playroom was. Dean remained in place, chewing his bottom lip. "We...are Seth and I are still sharing a room?" he asked nervously. He remembered when Randy and Roman sat them down and told them that they would be moving houses. He and Seth insisted to continue to share a room, since Dean was still afraid to sleep alone. Randy smiled softly and ran his fingers through Dean's hair. "Of course," he answered. "Papa and I didn't forget." Dean smiled at this. "Thank you," he whispered, before joining his siblings in the finished basement. Dean and Seth's room was the size of a master with one big closer; it even has enough space for two twin beds, two tall dressers and a double desk, for the boys to do their homework. They even had their own bathroom right across the hall from their bedroom. Guiding the kids back upstairs, Randy showed them the kitchen, in which Seth instantly said, "Look how big this refrigerator is. Do you know how much food we could fit in there?" Bayley seemed to be more fascinated with the theme of the kitchen: white marble counter tops, white cabinets, and the biggest island she has ever seen. Like seriously, it fits six people comfortably. Moving on, the kids traveled upstairs and entered what would be Bayley room. "You have two closets just like Seth and Dean!" Cody exclaimed, squeezing Randy's hand. Bayley walked further into the room and open the bi-fold closet doors. Same size as Seth and Dean's. Then she went to the one closet door that had a mirror; her breath caught in her throat when she opened it up. Walk. In. Closet. And it was huge! Randy let go of Cody's hand and squatted down next to her. "Papa and I were thinking of making this closet into like, a tiny art studio for you, so you won't have to go all the way down to the playroom just to paint and stuff. Of course, if it's okay with-" "Yes!" Bayley cheered, turning around and squeezing her arms around his neck. "Thank you!" "Anything for you sweet pea."

  
Next was Cody's room. There wasn't any time too special about it, other than the fact that it is about two times bigger than his old room and he had much more closet space. But Cody loved it anyway because he'll get to have most posters on his walls. Finally, Randy led the kids back downstairs and to the backdoor to show them the backyard. "Look! There’s a play set! With swings!" Dean shouted, rushing down the deck stairs with Seth and Cody following behind. Cody himself suddenly screamed, exclaiming, “There’s a basketball court, so basketball!” Bayley opted to explore the enormous deck instead. "Daddy look, there's a place for like...a garden," she said, pointing at two wooden, rectangular boxes on the other end of the deck. Randy raised an eyebrow and smiled. "You can have a garden if you want to baby girl." Bayley grinned, then furrowed her eyebrows. "But it's almost Fall. And after Fall comes winter. Flowers don't grow in the winter." "True, but some vegetables do. When we get settled in, we can look up what foods grow in the winter, okay? How's that sound?" Bayley eagerly nodded her head before joining her brother who were in the middle of playing a game of tag. Randy sat down on the deck stairs and watched him play. It finally dawned on him that his daughter is surrounded by boys. Now, that isn't a bad thing, but she's going to need some female influence in her life. Especially during her teenage years. Randy shuddered at that. He is already dreading giving Dean and Seth the sex talk in a couple years, he didn't know how he and Roman will do with Bayley. It's also doesn't help that there was more than just that too. Roman's mother could help when she could and so could Nikki, but he needed someone who could be there every time he had a question about how to raise a girl. _Maybe reconnecting with my Mom is a good idea._

  
Roman knew the kids weren't going to be very helpful when moving all their things to the new house, so after a full hour and a half of complaining from said kids, he called John; Nikki also tagged along, to entertain the kids. "Have you met your neighbors yet?" John asked as he passed Roman a box from off the moving truck. Before Roman could answer, Randy scoffed next to him and playfully rolled his eyes. "We've only been in the neighbor for an hour and a half. Do you really think we met anyone yet?" Roman laughed as John stuck his tongue out at Randy and mumbled "Asshole. I was just wondering because now you're closer to the school. There's gotta be a ton for kids for your kids to play with." Randy smiled at that. "We'll meet them when we're more settled. Right now, we gotta figure to where to find a double desk for Seth and Dean's room."

  
Inside, Nikki sat nearby as she watched the kids play "War," which involved Cody's green, plastic army men, whatever plush toys they could find, Seth and Dean's hot wheels, and Bayley's pink and blue Barbie cars. Seth and Cody were on one team while Dean and Bayley were on the other. There weren't any rules to the game; really, the kids enjoyed rolling their cars to the other team's space and watching how many army men they could knock over. It was all fun and games and the kids were getting a kick out of it. Nikki laughed out loud when Cody picked up his plush Spider man and chucked it across the floor toward Dean and Bayley's troops. Seth gaped at him while the other two snickered. "Cody! That's Spider man! He's supposed to swing from stuff!" "There's no buildings for him to swing from!" Cody giggled, already preparing some of Seth's hot wheels to send over. Another ten more minutes went by when Nikki announced that it was lunch time. "Auntie Nikki are you going to make us something?" Cody asked as he stood up. "There's no food in the fridge yet, but I can take you guys to my house to eat. I'm sure I can make something there." Cody hesitated for a moment, something Bayley noticed, but nodded anyway. "Um...okay." Nikki sent Seth and Dean to go ask their Dads while she helped Cody and Bayley clean up the toys, stuffing as much as they could back into their backpacks. "They said we could go!" Dean announced, running back in, Seth right behind him. Cody nervously grabbed Nikki's hand and walked outside with everyone else. "Bye Daddy! Bye Papa!" Bayley yelled, yelling at their fathers from across the yard. Randy and Roman waved back, but Cody wasn't having it. Whining, he attempted to tug his hand free from Nikki's. "The car is this way buddy," she stated, looking down at him. Cody simply shook his head and pulled his hand away, running across the yard and wrapping himself around Roman's leg. "Hey kiddo, what's the matter?" The Samoan man asked, squatting down to his level. Cody hugged him around his neck. "I don't wanna go with Auntie Nikki," he mumbled. "Wanna stay with you and Daddy." "You're just going over to her house for lunch bubba, and then you'll be back here." "You come with? Or Daddy?" "We have to finish moving our stuff inside with Uncle John." "Then I stay too." "Cody?" Nikki said suddenly, walking over. "Hey, what's the matter?" "Um...he doesn't want to leave. He wants to stay here with Randy and I. Separation anxiety and all." Roman stated quietly. Cody pressed his face against his Papa's neck. "Ah," Nikki acknowledged, smiling softly. "That's okay. I can just bring back some food for you. How's that sound?" Cody lifted his head and nodded, whispering a quiet "Thank you." "You're so welcome sweetheart. We'll be back soon." After one last goodbye, Nikki walked back over to the other three kids. Bayley watched Cody through the window as the car pulled out of the driveway. Frowning at how upset her little brother looked, she sat back in her seat and sighed softly.

  
_Cody needs help._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you guys know, Cody is now six in this story. I've decided to write a one-shot about what happened on his 6th birthday because we need some wholesome feels lol. I'll have it out sometime this week so stay tuned :)


	4. A Past

**_Awww, Sethie Bear. What're you crying for? Your Mommy? Well, she won't be coming back for you. She doesn't like you much," the woman smiled evilly as she circled around the recently turned four-year-old boy. Seth remained frozen in fear of his so-called foster mother hitting him with the dog chain again. She leaned down close to the boy's face; Seth tried so hard not to flinch. "Your Mother is sick, sick in the head. She doesn't want you. You Dad doesn't know you, but I bet he wouldn't want you either. I don't even want you. You're only here because I get money for letting your greedy ass into my home. I despise you. I wish you were dead." More tears spilled down Seth's cheeks, but the woman simply laughed in his face. "Fucking cry baby. But that's okay,' she stood up, raising the dog chain over her head. "I'll give you something to cry about..."_ **

  
Seth yelped as he sat up quickly, almost colliding heads with someone else in the process. "Seth! Seth calm down! It's just me!" Dean whispered-yelled, settling his hands on his brother's shoulders. "It's just me down here. I promise." Except, Seth couldn't calm down. His hands were shaking, his heart pounding; he hadn't had a nightmare about _her_ in several months! "D-Dean?" he whispered brokenly, tears clouding his eyes. "Yeah?" "Will...will you come upstairs with me?" "Why do you need to go upstairs?" "To get Papa, or Dad. I..." Seth swallowed thickly and stood up, grabbing Dean's hand. "Will you? Please?" Dean looked at his brother worriedly and nodded. "Y-yeah. Come on." The boys still weren't used to the new house even after four days, so while walking upstairs, they turned on the lights, which so happened to attract the attention of Roman. "Boys?" he asked, walking from the kitchen to where his oldest sons stood by the living room. "It's nearly three in the morning, what are you two doing up?" Seth went to answer but instead he bursts into tears, shocking his brother slightly. "He had a nightmare," Dean whispered, gently pushing his brother to Roman; the older man immediately wrapped his arms around him. "Hey baby boy, why the tears?" Seth though, only sobbed harder, pressing his face against his Papa's stomach. Frowning, Roman maneuvered them over to the couch, sitting them down and keeping Seth close. Dean followed and sat nearby, not really knowing what to do with himself. It took several long minutes for Seth to calm down enough to give Roman a clear answer, but even then, he was still shaking. "S-she hurt me again. She was here, and she hurt me. Except I was a l-little kid again." Roman knew exactly who she was. Pulling Seth closer, he rubbed his back and kissed his forehead. "You're safe baby boy, it's okay. She can't hurt you anymore." Dean shifted uncomfortably as he watched Roman comfort Seth. He's seen his fellow sibling cry before but not because he was scared. "How bout we try going back to sleep, okay?" "Will you come with me?" Seth quickly asked as Roman guided him to his feet. "Of course." Dean followed silently behind, his heart clenching tighter and tighter. Seth didn't hesitate to go to Roman for comfort after a nightmare. It made his realize that he's not a baby just because he's scared of his dreams; if Seth could do it, he could do it too. He just didn't know how. Arriving back to the boys' bedroom, Dean climbed into his own bed and Seth in his; Roman sat on the end of Seth's. "How are you feeling?" Seth sniffled and pulled his comforter up to his chin. "C-Can you lay down with me? Until I fall asleep?" Dean shivered a little at that. He had never seen Seth so scared before. He watched as Roman laid down next to his, running his fingers through his thick hair; occasionally whispering "You're alright," and "You're safe here." Seth eventually fell asleep, but Dean was still wide awake. Roman noticed this and slowly moved from Seth's bed to Dean's. "Hey champ," he whispered. "I want to talk to you about something." Dean's eyes widened slightly, his fingers digging nervously into his comforter. Roman noticed this and gently held the boy's hands in his. "It's nothing bad, I promise. I just wanted to tell you that the other day at the old house, I heard Cody wake you up from a nightmare." Dean looked down and away, humiliation flowing through him. "I'm not mad," Roman continued. "I just wanted to tell you that you're not a baby for having nightmares. From your standpoint and recent events, I would be surprised if you didn't." The Samoan man shifted, pulling Dean close to him. "You can always come talk to me and Randy. I don't care if you think it's stupid. If it's bothering you, then it isn't, and we can help someway of another. Does that sound okay?" Dean nodded against his chest as silent tears spilled down his cheeks. "I'm sorry," he croaked. "No, don't apologize. This isn't something you need to be sorry about. If anything, I should be apologizing." Roman held Dean's face in his hands, wiping away the tears with the pads of his thumbs. "I've noticed you've been tired recently, but I just assumed that it was because you and Seth stay up late to play video games. I should have known better, and I'm sorry." Dean opened his mouth to protest, to say "Don't blame yourself. I tried to hide it from you and Randy," but nothing came out. Instead, he reached forward and gave Roman another hug, mumbling, "Thank you" into his chest. "Anything for you" Roman whispered, leaning down and kissing his forehead. "Try to get some sleep okay? I'll see you in a couple hours." Roman tucked Dean in and stood up to leave. He wasn't even halfway to the door before Dean's voice stopped him. "Roman? Is...is it okay if I call you Papa and Randy, Dad?" Roman bit his lip to stop his tears of joy. Truth be told, he already knew Dean called he and Randy "Dad" and "Papa," but only when talked to his siblings; never to their face. Turning back around, he smiled. "Of course, but whatever you're most comfortable with. You don't have to call us that right away."

  
That morning was hard.

  
Roman had informed Randy of what all went down way earlier that morning while they were making breakfast, so they weren't very surprised when one: Seth was the first one of the kids to wake up, and two: he attached himself to Roman. And then the other three got up. Bayley was her bubbly self, but Dean and Cody were unusually quiet, and that made Randy nervous. Not because of Dean (because Roman told him everything that happened), but because of Cody. Cody waking up in a quiet mood means he is most likely cranky. Then, it happened. The kids were served their breakfast; French toast with scrambled eggs and orange juice. Except...Cody wanted waffles. "We already made this," Randy said, setting the plate in front of the six-year-old. Cody's bottom lip quivered. "But-" "No Cody, either you eat this or nothing at all. I'm not making waffles." Next to Cody, Dean tensed as he felt the little boy's anger rise. He glanced at Bayley and both silently decided that it was best to finish eating as fast as possible, so they didn't have to watch Cody's meltdown. Dean already knew Seth wouldn't be leaving Roman's side, so he didn't even try to attempt to make eye-contact with him. "I want waffles," Cody spat out, shoving his plate away. Randy only pushed it back. "And I'm not making any. Eat this or go hungry until lunch." Bayley's eyes widened at Randy's tone. _Uh oh. Daddy is grumpy today._ Dean was about halfway through his plate when the first whine from Cody exploded out of his mouth. "I don't want this! I want waffles!" "Cody..." Randy trailed off, squeezing his eyes shut and pinching the bridge of his nose. "Just eat your food." Cody wasn't having it. Lifting his arm, he smooshed his scrambled eggs between his fingers and promptly dropped it on the island, all while looking his Dad right in the eye. "I don't want to eat this." Roman, who decided to sit back and let Randy handle the situation himself, quickly glanced at Randy. He. Looked. Absolutely. Pissed. "Babe, maybe you should-" "Jesus fucking Christ Cody!" Randy snapped, and there was no going back from it. "Why the hell can't you just listen and eat your damn food without complaining?! You do this shit every single fucking day! Why can't you be like you brothers and sister and shut up for once?" The kitchen was immediately engulfed in silence, Seth, Dean and Bayley sitting there in shock. Randy though, didn't care for their reactions; he stormed out the front door. The rest of the family could hear him start his car then leave. Cody covered his mouth to keep his sobs at bay as he laid his forehead down on the island counter. _Mad., I made Daddy mad at me and now he's not coming back!_ Roman instantly stood up and ushered his three oldest kids to leave. "Go unpack some of the toys for the playroom alright? I'll let you know when it's okay to come back up." Seth hesitated but eventually followed Dean and Bayley downstairs. Now was not the time to be clingy, especially when some intense shit just went down.

  
Forty-six minutes. That's how long it took for Roman to finally calm Cody down; and Randy still hasn't come home. He's tried calling, texting, nothing. Shoving his phone into his pocket, he sighed and leaned against a kitchen cabinet, shifting Cody in his arms so he could look at his face, and boy did he look miserable. "You okay?" The little boy rubbed at his eyes and shook his head no. "Daddy is mad at me and...and I made him go away." "Oh no bubba, no. He just...needs some time to calm down. He's coming back, I promise." Cody didn't respond, deciding to lay his head back on his Papa's shoulder instead. After a few moments of silence, Roman spoke up again. "You need to listen to Daddy and I, Cody. When we make you food, you need to eat it and not complain. You can't keep doing this." Cody nodded his head sadly, pressing his face against Roman's shoulder and mumbling, "Sorry." "It's not me you need to say sorry to." Roman sat Cody on the ground and grabbed his hand. "Here's what's going to happen: you're going to sit in time-out, and then, you're going to draw a picture for Daddy to give to him when he gets back." Cody looked down and nodded, not protesting when Roman made him sit on the stairs. "Six minutes, then you can come out."

  
Meanwhile, Randy was parked at a nearby grocery store, trying to will away his anger. He's counted to ten so many times that he's lost count. In reality, Randy knew snapping at Cody like that was completely unnecessary; his youngest son didn't deserve that. He wasn't even mad, just frustrated because later that night, he would be seeing his parents for the first time in twelve years. Frustrated because he hasn't been able to soothe his anxiety since he called his Mom several days before. So yes, he's been on edge for a while, and no, Cody did not deserve the bullshit that spewed out of his mouth. I probably made him cry. Sighing, Randy rested his forehead on the steering wheel and pulled out his phone. Seven missed called from Randy and ten texts, all along the lines of, "Where are you?" and, "Are you okay?" Yeah, he knew he fucked up big time. Starting his car, he called Roman back and set it on speaker. His husband immediately picked up the phone. "Randy, you can't just walk out like that. We've talked about this already." "I know," Randy lamented, turning on his turn signal. "Are...are you okay? You're not..." "I'm not drunk Roman. I promise I wouldn't get drunk when angry, remember?" "I know, I just, you looked pretty pissed and I didn't want you to-" "I'm not," Randy whispered, disguising his hurt because of Roman not trusting him. "We made that agreement and I am determined to stick with it." "I'm sorry." "It's...it's fine. How's Cody?" "Absolutely distraught. It took a long time to calm him down." Randy cursed softly. "That's my fault, I'm sorry. I'm on my way home. I'll see you soon." He hung up before Roman could say anything else, stepping on the gas to speed up the process of getting home.  
The house was quiet when he got inside, meaning the kids were mostly liking out in the backyard (even though there is literally nothing out there at the moment). He opened the backdoor and sure enough, his family was there; Seth, Dean and Bayley chasing each other around the yard, and Cody on Roman's lap while the man himself sat on the stairs of the deck. Upon hearing the backdoor upon, both Cody and Roman turned their heads; Cody's eyes widen and instantly turned back around. Randy tried to pretend like that action didn't hurt. "Hi," he murmured softly, slowly walking over to kneel next to them. At that point, Randy's heart completely shattered; Cody refused to look at him, facing away from him and body tense. Roman gave his husband a look, then shifted, setting a protesting Cody onto his feet. "Tell him what we talked about," he whispered, smiling assuredly at him. It was at that moment that Randy noticed his little boy was clutching a folded piece of paper in his hands. "I'm sorry Daddy," Cody suddenly blurted out, causing Randy to shift his focus to his face. "I... I'm sorry for not listening to you. I promise I won't do it again." He shoved the paper into Randy's hands before sitting on Roman's lap and hiding his face in his shoulder. Randy bit his lip and glanced down at the paper. The front of is what he assumed was a picture of him, except he seemed to look angry. On the inside, there was a poorly (sorry, it had to be said lol) drawn picture of Cody with tears running down his face. And next to it read, "Sorry for being a bad boy," written in purple crayon. It took every ounce of shrill will to not burst into tears. "Oh buddy," he mumbles solemnly, glancing at the six-year-old. Cody was already looking up at him with one eye. "Can you...can you come here please? Can I get a hug?" Randy wasn't ready for the force of his youngest kid to come crashing into his chest so suddenly, but he held on tight anyway. "You're not a bad boy," he said, pulling back to look at Cody's face. "But...I made you mad. And I made you say bad words." Randy sighed softly at Cody's innocence. "You didn't make me mad buddy. Something else was bothering me and I shouldn't have yelled at you. I'm so sorry." Cody, who had started playing with the collar of Randy's shirt, suddenly frowned. "You're not mad at me?" "I never was bubba. I'm sorry if I made you feel that way. I love you so much." Cody wrapped his arms around his Dad's neck, squeezing tightly. "I love you too Daddy." Randy just held Cody in his arms, but when he caught Roman's eyes, he gave him a look.

  
_We need to talk._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More of Seth's past will be reveled in the coming chapters. Bayley's too; still trying to figure out how to go about her's though.
> 
> Also, I posted the oneshot about Cody's 6th Birthday! Check it out here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22764484


	5. Stacy?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I put some Pinterest links down below if you're interested. Other than that, enjoy this update!

"What the hell was that? Did you not look at that card before he gave it to me?" Randy hissed as he closed the door to the backyard. "He didn't want me to see!" Roman huffed back, crossing his arms. "Trust me, if I knew what it said inside, I wouldn't have let him give that to you." Randy sighed and rubbed his forehead, tilting his head toward the ceiling. "Okay...okay, makes sense. I still need to talk to you." Glancing one more time outside to make sure the kids were alright; Randy pulled his husband to the kitchen. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed loudly. "Why the hell am I doing this?" Roman gave him a confused look. "Doing what?" "Visiting my parents after twelve years of silence? They had all this time to call, and they didn't. Why now? Why did they wait this long?" Roman brought his husband into his arms and kissed his cheek softly. "That will be something you will have to ask them, babe." Randy sighed and leaned against Roman's chest. "I know," he mumbled. "I just wish I knew the answers now, so I can determine if it is really worth driving there tonight." Before Roman could answer, Cody came running inside, looking frantic. "Daddy? Papa?" Roman kissed Randy's cheek one last time, mumbling "You got this," before walking over to his youngest son. Randy huffed softly and leaned back against the counter. _He's right. I can do this._

  
It's almost four in the evening and Randy was getting ready to leave if he wanted to make it to his parents' house by six-thirty. Problem was, his kids found out he would be leaving for a couple hours, and one of them was not happy: Cody. "But...but you won't eat dinner with us," the little boy whined, sitting on the floor of his Dads' room while Randy searched through the closet for a shirt. "I'm sorry bubba. I'll be eating dinner with my Mom and Dad tonight." "Can we come with you?" "Maybe some other time." Randy had just picked out a white, short-sleeved button up shirt to go with his black denim jeans when he felt little arms wrap around his thigh. "Please Daddy?" "Next time buddy, I promise." The older man said softly, pushing Cody's hair back from his forehead. "How 'bout, you go tell Papa that I said that you, Seth, Dean and Bayley can go pick out a new toy?" He chuckled at the wide grin his little boy gave him. "Okay!" And off he went, running out of the room and calling for Roman. Randy took a deep breath and began changing. _I got this...I can do this._ He repeated this mantra in his head until he finished getting ready. "Roman?" he said as he walked downstairs, shoving his phone and wallet into his pocket. "Kitchen!" Arriving, he sat at the island and watched his husband clean for a couple minutes before speaking up. "I'm about to leave." Roman leaned over the island and kissed his softly. "Good luck." "Thanks. I'm going to need it." Randy walked into the common room to see his four kids all laying around watching cartoons. "Daddy, do you have to go now?" Bayley asked, lifting her head from Dean's lap. "Unfortunately, I do. But I'll be back later. You guys are going to have fun with Papa." "For sure!" Seth piped up. "He said we can get a new toy at Target, and then we're going to make snicker-doodle cookies, so we can take them to the neighbors." Randy smiled at that. It t occurred to him earlier that Roman has never actually been left alone with all four kids, but it seemed he already had stuff planned out to keep them entertained. "And we're having tacos for dinner!" Cody finished, licking his lips. Randy chuckled and kissed each of their cheeks. "I'll be home later tonight kiddos. Be good for Papa." Bayley let out a snort, smirking up at her Dad. "We're always good Daddy." Randy laughed out loud at that. "Okay Princess. If you say so." One last goodbye and the older man was out the door, his hands trembling slightly as he pulled out of the driveway. _I can do this. I just have to survive about an hour and then I can come back home to my family._ Randy let out a breath. _I can do this._

  
Roman inwardly groaned as he followed his kids around the toy section. Don't get him wrong, he doesn't mind spending time with his kids (he'd rather do this than go to work any day) but they take forever to pick out a toy. They've been here for nearly twenty minutes! "Kiddos," he called out. "Are you almost finished? We still have to go to the food section to get the ingredients for the cookies." "We're done Papa," Cody said, pointing at himself then Bayley. "I got a Hawkeye toy, and sissy got a necklace maker...thingy." "A jewelry making kit," Bayley corrected, smiling softly at her younger brother. "I'm going to make bracelets for everyone with their names on them. See, this has alphabet beads and other charms." "Oooo," Cody mumbled softly, peering over. "Can mine be, blue and um...pink please?" Bayley nodded enthusiastically. "Sure!" Before Cody could respond, Seth and Dean came rushing down the aisle. "I found a bridge building kit! Just like my roller-coaster one!" Seth exclaimed, proudly displaying his discovery. Dean slid in next to him, a goofy smile taking up his face. "And I found a catapult building set, Papa!" Dean froze after that, his mouth dropping down in shock. "I-I meant Roman...yeah, uh, Roman." He added quickly, cheeks flushing in embarrassment. Roman didn't react to Dean's 'slip up," instead, he smiled softly. "That's really cool Dean. How many different one's can you build?" Swallowing hard, his oldest son wiped his hands on his shorts before answering. "T-ten, but I can make my own too." Bayley, noticing Dean's discomfort, tugged on her Papa's shirt to advert his attention. "Can we get the stuff for the cookies now?" "Yes but put your stuff in the cart please." "I want to ride inside!" Cody exclaimed, dropping his action figures into the basket and making the typical "grabby hands" to be picked up. "Please," he quickly added. Roman laughed and lifted him, placing him inside the cart. Bayley attached herself to the side and Seth decided to take charge in driving. Roman slung his arm around Dean and pulled him close to his side. "It's okay," the Samoan man mumbled softly. Dean looked at him confused. "What do you mean?" "I mean, it's alright that you called me Papa. Remember when you asked me if that was okay?" The boy nodded, cheeks flushing slightly. "And what did I say?" "That...that I could call you Papa, and Randy, Dad, whenever I was ready. There's no rush." "Exactly. We're not going to rush you into it; it's about whatever you're comfortable with, yeah?" Dean nodded, nuzzling more into Roman's side and smiling. "Yeah. Thank you."

  
 _Come on Randall, just get out of the car, knock on the door, and have dinner with your parents. It won't be that bad._ The closer Randy got to his parents' house, the more anxious he became. And now, sitting in his car across the street, his anxiety levels were slowly rising. He was seconds away from restarting his car and driving home to just be with his husband and kids. But he stopped himself when he heard Roman's voice in his head. _"Take the chance before it's too late."_ Sighing in attempt to calm his nerves, Randy got out of the car and dragged himself to the front door of the house. _Okay Randy, I can do this. I need to do this. For my family._ He knocked and held his breath, tensing when he heard footsteps coming closer and closer to the door. He shouldn't have been surprised when the door opened, but he was, because the person who opened it was neither his mom nor his dad. No...it was Stacy Keibler, his best friend from middle school. “Hi Randy,” she said softly, sending him a small smile. Randy’s mouth dropped open in shock. “S-Stacy? What are you doing here?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Meant to do this on Cody's birthday oneshot but I guess I'll do it here lol: I've recently started using Pinterest again.  
>  If you want to see what Cody got for his b-day, click here:
> 
> https://www.pinterest.com/maruwovesyou/codys-birthday/
> 
> And, if you want to see what the family's new house looks like, click here:
> 
> https://www.pinterest.com/maruwovesyou/orton-reigns-new-house/
> 
> I had a lot of fun picking this stuff out (especially Cody's toys lmfao) so let me know what you think!


	6. After Dinner

Randy didn't remember driving home. It was all a blur; he was surprised he even made it into the driveway without causing an accident. Dinner with his parents was interesting to say the least, and he honestly didn't know how to feel about it. Seeing his parents for the first time in twelve years...it was a lot to take in. And then Seeing Stacy? He honestly didn’t know what to say. Getting out of the car, he groaned and rolled his shoulders, unlocking the front door and walking inside. It was silent. Pulling out his phone, he was shocked to see that it was almost midnight. _Had I really been at my parents' for that long?_ Since it was nearly the next day, that meant the kids should be in bed already. Randy quietly walked down to the lower level of the house, walking to the two older boys' room and peeking inside. Seth and Dean were asleep. Randy let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. Ever since Roman told him about Dean attempting to stay awake for more than half the night, just to avoid sleeping long enough for his mind to compose a nightmare, he had been worried. Closing the door, he made his way back upstairs into Bayley's room, and then Cody's. They were fast asleep too. So is Roman, he noted as he finally walked into his own bedroom. Must have been a long day. Randy moved around the room as silently as he could. It wasn't until he laid down next to his husband that it backfired. "Hi...," Roman mumbled softly, cracking one eye open right before Randy could shut off his lamp. "Shit, sorry babe. I didn't mean to wake you. Go back to sleep," Randy whispered, kissing Roman's cheek and turning off the light. Roman settled back down next to him and took and deep breath. "How did dinner go?" Randy groaned. "I honestly don't know what to think about it. I'll tell you tomorrow. I'm exhausted." "M'kay. Goodnight." "Goodnight Roman."

  
**2:17am**

  
Seth's eyes snapped open, holding his breath for a couple seconds until he heard what woke him up. _Dean._ He instantly sat upright, snapping his head to his older brother's side of the shared room. "Dean?" All he got in response was a pained whimper and some shifting. Climbing out of bed, he crept over to Dean's bed, freezing when his brother let a pained cry and kicked his comforter completely off himself. "Dean...Dean, come on, wake up," Seth said, shaking his shoulder; Dean violently flinched, and a choked _"No"_ fell from his lip before sobbing, shifting restlessly. At least...that's what Seth thought he was doing. Seth switched on Dean's lamp and froze. Dean...Dean was scratching his arms, scratching deep enough that they were bleeding badly. "PAPA!" he called out as he ran up both flights of stairs, bursting into his parents' room. "Dad! Papa! Get up! Come on, WAKE UP!" He violently shook Roman, which in turn woke up Randy. "Seth? What are you doing?" Roman said, instantly alert. "It's Dean! He's having a nightmare b-but he's hurting himself! You gotta wake him up!" Randy and Roman shared one look before bolting downstairs, Seth not too far behind. Roman made it to the boys' room first and, just like Seth, froze. _Fuck. Fuck. FUCK._ He quickly walked over to Dean and shook his shoulders using the same force Seth had used to wake him. "Dean! Dean! Come on buddy, you have to wake up!" Randy, upon seeing all the blood, ran back upstairs to get the first aid kit. Seth looked on with worry from the doorway. It took a couple times, but one last shake and Dean was awake. When the boy's eyes met Roman's, his face crumbled and he immediately starting sobbing; a type of sob that Roman has never heard before. This was a cry of pain and desperation. Roman sat down on the bed and pulled Dean onto his lap and close to his chest, not giving a damn about the blood. His oldest boy needs him. He didn't shush him, or tell him the typical "It'll be okay," he just let him cry his little heart out while he waited for Randy to get back. "Dean?" Seth whispered fearfully, stepping further into the room. Dean just continued to cry. Roman offered him a small smile and gestured for him to come closer. "I know this is scary, okay? I understand; Dean will fine after we get him to calm down. But can you do me a favor?" Seth hesitantly nodded, shifting his eyes between Dean and his Papa. "I need you to be the big brother, just for right now, alright? When Dad gets back, we're going to take Dean to get cleaned up. I'm going to need you take everything off Dean's bed and put it in the laundry room, okay? I'm also going to need you to bring some water when you come back down." Seth nodded again. Peering over at Dean, who's cries have slightly calmed down. "I-I can do that." Just then, Randy ran back in with a first aid kit, a towel and wash cloths. Nodding at Randy, Roman slowly stood up, causing Dean to whimper in protest. "N-no, please...don't...don't go." "I'm not going anywhere bud," Roman whispered, practically carrying him to the bathroom, Randy ahead of them. "You scratched your arms pretty badly champ; we're going to clean you up okay?" Dean nodded lazily, a few tears still slipping down his cheeks. It broke Roman's heart. Sitting him on the closed toilet seat, the two adults got to work. Dean's left arm looked worse after all the blood was wiped away. Four deep scratches covered the left forearm, but only two near the wrist on his right arm. Luckily, none of them needed stitches. "Okay kiddo, this might sting a little," Randy murmured, pouring hydrogen peroxide onto cotton balls, handing a couple to Roman. Dean winced as it seeped into the cuts but stayed still and silent otherwise. After applying cream, his arms were wrapped in gauze. Dean still didn't move; blankly staring ahead. "Let's go get you changed, okay champ?" Roman said, titling his head when Dean didn't even attempt to move. This resulted in Roman having to bridal carry him back to the room. Randy picked out some clothes for him while Roman sat him down but still holding on; Dean's balance was off. "Okay bud, we're going to change you out of these clothes. Is that alright?" Randy asked, showing he boy some blue, plaid-patterned pajama pants, a plain black t-shirt, and his favorite astronaut socks. Dean barley nodded, so the men changed him as quickly as they could. As soon as they were done, Seth came back downstairs, holding a bottle of water, and the plush sea turtle Dean won at the last-day-of-school carnival. Randy noticed Dean's face light up just a tiny bit; whether it was because of Seth or the plush toy, he didn't know. "I um...brought this too," Seth whispered, referring to the turtle. "It was upstairs. Maybe it'll help him calm down or...something. I don't know." Dean immediately stuck his hand out to reach for the toy; Seth gladly handed it over. "Thank you," he mumbled, hugging the turtle to his chest. Seth smiled softly before leaning over to give his brother a quick hug. "I'm glad you're okay." Dean didn't hug him back, but Randy could see him relax in the embrace. Roman rubbed Dean's shoulders softly and smiled at Seth. "How about we all go sit in the living room, yeah? So, we can all relax a bit."

  
**5:27am**

  
Seth fell asleep around three in the morning, snuggled up with several blankets on the floor while Disney's Mulan played on the tv in the background. Dean, on the other hand, has refused to sleep, no matter how many time Randy and Roman have bribed him. "I don't wanna go back to sleep," Dean mumbled, moving his head off Randy's thigh and pressing it into the couch. "Buddy, please. You can't stay awake forever," Roman said, sitting on the floor to run his fingers through the boy's hair. Randy rubbed his back softly. Dean sniffled but didn't respond. "We'll be here the entire time. It's safe; you can go back to sleep." Randy whispered. Both men have been awake the entire time, trying to convince their oldest son to just _sleep_. "No," Dean said as he lifted his head. "Mom and David tried to make me do bad things in my dream. I don't want to see that again. I'm not going back to sleep." Randy and Roman both furrowed their eyebrows. "What did they make you do?" the Samoan man asked, brushing the hair out of Dean's eyes. _He needs to get a haircut soon._ Dean hesitated, chewing on his lip before siting up, leaning against Randy's side. Roman took that opportunity to sit next to him on his other side. "They...they made me hurt Cody, and Seth and Bayley," Dean whispered, pulling his turtle, (which he named Bubbles) closer to his chest. "David...he told me to shoot them with the same gun he used when he kidnapped me, but I refused. He...," Dean choked back a sob, tears freely sliding down his cheeks. "He grabbed my hands and forced me to do it. He made me kill them! And Mom was just laughing!" Randy pulled Dean close to his chest as he sobbed, sending Roman a look of concern. They defiantly weren't expecting Dean's dream to be that graphic. Roman scooted over so Dean was essentially trapped between the two men. They rubbed his back and whispered reassurance to calm Dean down. It worked eventually, especially since Dean fell asleep, eyebrows casted down in distress. Both men let out a sigh in relief, sagging a little bit into the couch. "Randy?" Roman mumbled after several minutes of silence. "Dean needs help. He...God Randy, did you see his arms?" Randy nodded, swallowing hard. "You're right. I might know someone too."

  
**8:38am**

  
Roman scrunched up his face as a tiny finger poked him for what felt like the fifth time in less than 30 minutes. "Cody, Papa's trying to sleep. Stop touching me please." "I'm not Cody!" Bayley giggled, poking his cheek again. Roman slowly cracked his eyes open, spotting his daughter. He smiled softly and pulled her into a hug, kissing her cheek as she laughed. "Good morning sweetheart." "Morning Papa. Why are you sleeping downstairs with Dean and Seth and Daddy?" Roman blinked and looked around. That's right, I never moved. "Well, Dean had a really bad dream last night and didn't want to sleep without us." Bayley nodded and glanced at her eldest brother who was still cuddled against Randy on the far end of the couch, and then at Seth still sprawled out on the floor. "What happened to his arms?" She whispered, adjusting herself so she was settled on Roman's lap instead of leaning against him. "He uh...he scratched his arms during his nightmare. But do me a favor, okay?" Bayley turned her head to look at her Papa expectantly. "Don't say anything about it today. He was really upset about them last night; he probably won't be any better when he wakes up later." "Okay Papa," Bayley said as she slid off his lap, pulling his arm to pull him up. "Can I have cereal for breakfast please? The Lucky Charms are on top of the fridge and I'm not allowed to climb the counters to get them." Roman chuckled and stood up, allowing her to pull him to the kitchen. She climbed onto a chair at the island while Roman grabbed the Lucky Charms, milk, her favorite purple bowl and a spoon. As he was pouring milk for her cereal, he glanced at the oven clock. He legit almost dropped the milk, his eyes widening. Fuck! I have a meeting today! Quickly putting the food away, he rushed back to the living room and shook Randy until he woke up. Dean stirred too, causing Randy to glare at his husband. "Sorry," Roman said sheepishly. "I have a meeting that I need to leave for in 15 minutes if I want to make it on time and I don't want Bayley to be awake by herself." Randy blinked multiple time before sitting up the best he could. "Yeah...yeah. I'm up now. You go get ready." Roman was going to leave but looking at Dean's sleeping form made him hesitate. "I can cancel," he said quickly. "Since Dean had a rough night." Randy gave him a small smile. "I'm sure he'll be fine. Go get dressed, I can handle this." Roman sighed softly and nodded, rushing upstairs for a quick shower.

  
Twenty minutes later, after kissing a still asleep Cody goodbye upstairs, Roman was zooming back downstairs and to the kitchen, grabbing a granola bar and a bottle of water before kissing Bayley and Randy's cheeks, who just so happened to be there at the time. "Bye Papa!" Bayley called as Roman made his way to the living room where the two older boys were still sleeping. Kneeling, he brushed the hair out of Dean face and kissed his forehead. "Feel better champ. I'll see you in three hours." He then made his way to Seth, kissing his forehead just the same, mumbling, "Love you baby boy," before standing up, grabbing his keys and leaving out the front door.

  
**9:17am**

  
"Daddy, why isn't Cody awake yet?" Bayley asked, swinging her legs as she sketched at the kitchen island. Randy put his cup of coffee down and turned towards the clock. Usually, Cody was up between seven and eight. It was currently nine. "I don't know...I'll go check okay? You stay here." Bayley nodded as Randy went up upstairs to Cody's room. Cody was awake strangely enough but refused to acknowledge the fact that his Daddy was in the room. "Hey bubba," Randy whispered as he came in, sitting on the bulldozer shaped bed the little boy received when they moved in, (Cody claimed he was too old for the race car bed now that he was six). Cody simply squeezed his plush panda (named Ms. B) and his sister’s bunny (named Kenzie) closer to chest, remaining silent. _Okay, so no talking today. I can handle that._ Randy slowly reached over and caressed Cody's cheek with the pad of his thumb. Dry tear tracks. "Can I hold you?" He mumbled softly. Cody moved his eyes before sitting up, shaking his head no. The rejection didn't hurt Randy too much; Cody has had these episodes before, where he doesn't want to be held or touched much, but still want to be in the proximity of his Dad or Papa. "That's okay buddy. How about we go get some breakfast? I bet you're hungry." Cody simply stuck his pinky in his mouth and climbed off his bed, looking up at Randy for further instruction. The older man sighed softly. _Oh man...this is going to be an interesting day._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's going to be awhile before we find out what went down at Randy's parents' house, so hang tight. There's so much drama ahead before we get there lol.
> 
> Let me know what you think!


	7. Operation: C and D

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Should have said this last chapter lol, but it might be a good idea to read the second part of this series “June 30th” if you haven’t already. It may just be a oneshot of Cody’s birthday but I’m going to be referencing back to that bit in the coming chapters.
> 
> And if you’re wondering were Cody’s plush bunny came from? Read “June 30th” :) Anyways, enjoy this chapter!

_The power of the iPad._

  
Randy needed to slip away to make a phone call, but with Cody being clingy, it was hard. But after a while, he finally caved and gave the little boy his iPad to play on to keep him busy. Plus, Bayley was still there; so, with that settled, he went down to the kids’ playroom and made his call.  
“Hello?” Adam answered on the other line. “Hey man…its uh, it’s Randy? From the park?” “Oh! Hey man! What’s up? Finally calling to plan that playdate with our kids? Although, I must warn you, my ten-year-old doesn’t like the term ‘playdate,’ the word ‘hangout’ is more of his forte.” Randy chuckled softly at the little joke, then sighed. “No…I wish I was but no. This is more of a uh, serious matter.” “Ah, I see,” Adam said softly. “What’s wrong?” “My kids…” Randy started to get choked up. “My kids…they need help man, especially my oldest and youngest. They need to talk to someone, and I remember you telling me that you’re a child therapist, and I just thought…” “That I can help them?” Adam finished gently. Randy sniffled. “Y-yeah.” “Of course, man. Are you and your kids free tomorrow?” Wiping his eyes, Randy nodded. “We’re free all day, yes.” “Awesome. Does 9a.m. work?” “Defiantly.” “Okay then, I’ll see you tomorrow at 9 a.m. then.” Before they hung up, Adam gave him the address. “And Randy?” “Yeah?” “Your kids are going to be just fine; I promise.” “Thanks man.”

  
During the phone call, Seth had finally stirred awake, venturing into the kitchen in search of breakfast. He saw his younger siblings but neither of his Dads. “Where’s Dad and Papa?” “Papa had work and Daddy is on the phone,” Bayley answered, not looking up from her sketching. “Papa has work?” Bayley nodded. “For a little. He said he won’t be away long.” Seth nodded and walked further into the kitchen to make himself a bowl of cereal for breakfast. It wasn’t until he sat next to Bayley that it finally occurred to him that Cody is sitting under the table with his breakfast and Randy’s iPad. “Um…Cody? Why are you under the table?” The little boy didn’t answer, prompting Seth to look at his sister for an explanation. “Daddy said that Cody might have a bad day today.” Seth’s eyes widened at that. _Oh man._ He planned on spending time with Dean today to cheer him up after last night, but he might have to cheer Cody up too. Unless… “Hey Bayley, I have a plan.” The little girl stopped sketching and eyed her brother suspiciously. “The last plan you had got us in trouble.” “Well this isn’t going to get up in trouble, cross my heart. This is Operation: Help Cody and Dean feel better.” Bayley smiled at that, sitting up straighter. “I like this plan already. What are we going to do?” Seth then went into an explanation, explaining how he and Bayley will take turns spending time with Dean and Cody, and then ask their Dads’ to have a movie night so the whole family is together. Seth and Bayley smiled at each other after Seth was done explaining. “Operation Help C and D is a go!”

  
By the time Randy finished his phone call, Seth had moved back into the living room and was talking to a barley awake Dean. Randy had since wiped his tears, so his kids didn’t worry about why he’d been crying. “Dad!” Seth suddenly shouted, causing Randy to flinch and Dean to jump. “Inside voices Seth.” “Sorry. I wanted to tell you that I was telling Dean about all the fun we’re going to have today.” Randy have him a confused look. “We are?” “Well, me, Dean, Bayley and Cody are.” “Yeah? What are you going to do?” “Lots of things! Like video games and coloring and playing outside maybe.” “Okay…” Randy trailed off. “Dean and Cody had a rough night last night, so don’t force them to do something they don’t want to do.” “I know Dad,” Seth sighed, giving him a soft smile. “I’m going to go change now!” Seth was gone in seconds, rushing downstairs to get changed. Randy took that chance to sit next to Dean, rubbing his back softly. “You okay kiddo?” Dean blinked a couple times before nodding. “I think so,” he mumbled. “But I’m still kind of tired.” “Understandable. Any more bad dreams?” “I…I don’t remember if I had another dream or not.” “That’s okay,” Randy ran his fingers through Dean’s hair. “If you’re not feeling up to whatever Seth has planned today, just let him know, okay? He listens to you.” Dean snorted, sending Randy a small smile. “Sometimes.” Randy laughed. “You’re right about that one. Now, how ‘bout some breakfast?”

  
Operation C and D was not going how Bayley thought it would. Dean was fine; quiet and a little worn out, but he sat down and did a puzzle with Seth for a little bit before they decided to play Battleship. Bayley was having trouble with Cody. The first half-hour after breakfast was fine. Cody wanted to watch toy review videos on Randy’s iPad, so Bayley sat with him through that. But after their Dad took it away, Cody didn’t really want to do anything else but follow him around; Bayley didn’t know what to do. Currently, they are in the living room; Randy working on his laptop and Cody sitting by his feet; Dean and Seth down in the playroom playing their game. “Cody, do you want to come play outside with me?” Bayley asked. Cody leaned his head against Randy’s leg and shook his head no. His sister sighed. “Come on, please? We can play basketball.” “Want Daddy and Papa” Cody mumbled. Bayley’s eyes widened. “If Daddy comes outside, then will you come out with me?” Cody seemed to think about it for a moment, then nodded. “Basketball,” he added softly. Bayley’s eyes snapped up to Randy who, up until that moment, was ignoring the conversation. “Daddy, can you come outside with us? Please?” Randy wanted to say no, that he has work to do, but the Wi-Fi reaches outside…he can take his laptop out onto the deck. “Okay.” Bayley cheered, suddenly pulling Cody to his feet. He didn’t like that though, whining and yanking his hands away. “Don’t touch me!” He snapped, then shoved her away. Bayley stumbled, staring at Cody in confusion. “Cody,” Randy said sternly. “We’ve talked about putting your hands on people.” “She touched me!” Cody said, pointing at Bayley. “I understand that, but you didn’t have to push her. You need to say you’re sorry.” “No.” Both Randy and Bayley looked at Cody in shock. “What…did you just tell me _no_?” Cody simply crossed his arms, sending his Daddy a glare. “I’m not sorry.” “Well then you’re going to sit in time-out until you decide to apologize.” It was at that moment where Cody threw himself onto the ground, kicking and screaming up a storm. Bayley decided to take that opportunity to leave, sighing as she went down to the playroom. Her side of the operation wasn’t working out. Hopefully Seth’s side was.  
Down in the playroom, Seth was surprised to see Bayley come down without their younger sibling. “Where’s Cody?” Bayley sighed again and told her brother what happened. “Where’s Dean?” she asked after she finished. “Bathroom,” Seth shrugged, sending her a frown. “Sorry about Cody. Maybe he’ll feel better later.” Dean came back a few seconds later. “Are we going outside or what?” Seth looked at Bayley. “What do you say? Still wanna go outside? We’re going to kick the soccer ball around.” Bayley shrugged. She didn’t have anything else to do. Ten minutes later, the three were out in the backyard with a soccer ball. They had passed Cody upstairs who was crying but still sitting in time-out. After a while, Bayley got bored and climbing on the trampoline, lazily jumping before flopping down onto her back, looking up at the sky. She spaced out for a couple minutes, so she didn’t hear the back door open, or feet walking closer and closer to the trampoline. She only noticed someone was there when she felt the trampoline dip. Turning her head, she saw Cody, face still flushed red and teary eyed. “I’m sorry,” he blurted out quickly. “I’m sorry for pushing you. I didn’t mean it, I promise.” Bayley offered him a smile and sat up, giving him a hug. “I know, it’s okay. Do you still want to play basketball?” “I can’t,” he whispered sadly. “Still in time-out. But I wanted to say sorry. I have to sit with Daddy until I can go play.” “Okay, after? We’ll still be out here.” “Okay,” Cody climbed off the trampoline and ran back to the deck, sitting on the stairs near Randy. Bayley decided to kick the soccer ball around with Dean and Seth until Cody was out of time-out. But by the time Randy let Cody out to play, Seth decided it was time to switch. So, Seth played basketball with Cody and Bayley and Dean jumped on the trampoline for a bit before swinging on the swings of the playset. “You okay Deanie?” Bayley asked once the swings have slowed down. “Papa said that you had a really scary dream last night.” Dean scrunched up his face and shrugged. “I don’t know. I will be, I think.” Bayley hopped off her swing and gave Dean a hug. “Daddy and Papa say my hugs make them feel better, so I hope this works,” she giggled. Dean smiled and laid his cheek on her head, hugging her back. “I think it’s working.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not too much action in this chapter, just Seth and Bayley being the best brother and sister. Next chapter is when the drama really begins. I had to research so much shit so I hope it's worth it lol.


	8. Dr. Copeland

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've never had to go to therapy as a child, so if any of this is wrong or something like that, please let me know. I had to research this myself; I promise I won't be offended lol

_“I know you might be mad-”_

_“I’m not mad Randy.”_

_“Are you sure? Because I totally went behind your back and-”_

_“I have no right to be mad. You were thinking of the kids.”_

_“Yeah but I could have told you. I was upset and just…did it.”_

_“The kids need help Randy, and you got them help. So no, I’m not mad.”_

** The Next Day **

Roman called out of work at the last minute so both he and Randy would be there for the kids’ appointment. They explained to the kids the night before what to expect: Cody and Bayley understand that they’re going to a “Talking Doctor.” Seth and Dean have seen enough movies and television shows to know what a therapist was; Dean isn’t happy about it. Now, in the waiting room, Dean’s attitude started to kick up. “I don’t understand why we have to see a therapist. We’re fine. I’m fine. This is stupid,” he huffed. Roman sighed softly, adjusting Cody who sat on his lap. “We’ve talked about this last night. You may be fine physically but you’re still struggling. This doctor may be able to help with that.” “And what if he doesn’t?” “Then you’ll see a new doctor. The cycle isn’t going to stop until we see you’re getting better.” Dean gave him a glare then rolled his eyes. “Whatever. This is still stupid.” Roman gave Randy a desperate look but his husband just shook his head, offering him a pained smile. Dean wasn’t on board last night so, he wasn’t surprised that he was still skeptical today. Didn’t excuse his attitude though.

“Orton-Reigns?”

Randy and Roman looked up when their names were called. There stood Adam in casual clothing, the exact opposite of how Seth and Dean have seen therapists dressed on a screen. Randy and Roman stood up, shaking his hand. “You’re the husband, right?” Adam asked, looking at Roman. The Samoan man smiled and nodded. “Yeah, I’m Roman.” “Awesome. I’m Adam, or, in a professional setting, Dr. Copeland. I may or may not be your kids’ therapist for this journey.” Randy and Roman gave him a confused look, causing Adam to chuckle. “I say that because sometimes, clients might not be a good fit, depending on their trauma and how they feel to be around me. I promise that if they’re not a good fit, I’ll recommend someone else. I haven’t been here long, but I was forced to go through bonding exercises with all my co-workers, so I’d like to say that I know them well now.” Randy sighed in relief. _That makes sense._ “So, who would like to go first? I’d rather they come in alone, kids tend to reveal a lot more when their guardians aren’t with them.” Adam looked at them, quickly adding. “If that’s okay.” “Of course,” Roman answered. “Cody will go first. He has separation anxiety and we want to get this over with.” “This evaluation will be not no longer than fifteen minutes, twenty tops.” Randy took a deep breath and nodded. “Alright.” Honestly, both parents were _dreading_ sending Cody in alone. Cody isn’t really big on going anywhere without one of them. Fifteen minutes shouldn’t be a problem, but they knew it would be. They also discussed that Roman would be the one to go with him into the office, then leave. Cody loves his parents equally, but he is definitely a Daddy’s boy. It hurt Roman sometimes depending on the situation, so they’re starting with baby steps. Squatting down, Roman smiled at Cody and grabbed his hand. “Come on kiddo, you’re going to go first.” “Can I bring Kenzie and Ms. B?” Cody quickly asked. “Of course, bubba, let’s go.”

  
Roman shut the office door with a cringe while rubbing the back of his neck. He didn’t reveal to Cody that he had to go in alone until they followed Adam into the office. To say he didn’t like it was putting it lightly. He could still hear him crying/screaming through the door. He really hoped these fifteen minutes passed quickly.

  
“I want Daddy and Papa!” Cody sobbed. He was currently lying curled up on the couch, his plush animals on the floor in front of him. “Please! I want my Daddy and Papa! I want to see them!” “You will,” the doctor said gently. He was currently seated on the coffee table that sat in front of the couch. “I just want to talk to you for a little bit, then you can go back to your Daddy and Papa. How’s that sound?” “Want them now!” Cody only sobbed harder, pulling his shirt over his head to hide his face. “How about we draw?” Adam suggested, ignoring the previous comment. He knew if he caved in, nothing would get done. Cody calmed himself down long enough to shake his head no. “I-I want my Daddy and Papa.” “I have an idea,” Dr. Copeland said after a moment. “I’ll let you leave early only, and only IF, you draw or color with me. How is that compromise?” “What’s a…what’s a com-pro-mise?” “Compromise? It means that each side gets what they want.” Cody thought about it, then nodded, wiping his eyes and cheeks with his sleeve. “O-okay.” He slid onto the floor while Adam got up and got out the coloring supplies. He sat across from him at the coffee table a minute later. “What’s your favorite color?” he asked the little boy as he handed him a piece of paper. “Purple,” Cody mumbled, digging through the box of crayons. “I like purple too, but my favorite color is blue.” “Sethie likes blue too.” “Is Seth your brother?” “Mhm,” Cody sniffled and wrinkled his nose in concentration. “Deanie is my brother too. And Bayley is my sister.” “I bet they’re the best brothers and sister, huh?” Cody smiled softly. “The best in the whole wide world.” “Wow! They really must be the best!” Adam laughed. “They are…” Cody trailed off. After five more minutes of basic getting to know you questions (Adam was secretly writing notes instead of drawing), Cody deemed himself finished with his picture and was quick to leave the office, right into Randy’s arms. Roman walked over to him, probably to ask how it went, but the doctor shook his head. “I don’t want to discuss it here with the kids present. I’ll call later tonight to talk about how all their sessions went.” Roman nodded in understanding.

  
Next was Bayley. She was hesitant to go in at first, but after being reminded that she’ll only be with Dr. Copeland for twenty minutes max, she went in without a problem. “Sit anywhere you want,” Dr. Copeland told her. Bayley giggled and plopped herself in the bean-bag chair by the shelf of games and toys. Adam chuckled and sat down on the couch, notepad in hand. “I’m Dr. Copeland, as you already know,” he started. “And you’re Bayley.” “Yep!” “Okay Bayley tell me about yourself. Like what do you like to do, stuff like that.” Bayley nodded and leaned back, thinking for a moment. “Okay, um…my name is Bayley Rose Orton-Reigns, my favorite color is light purple and yellow, my favorite animals are Pandas, my favorite food are tacos, I like to draw, and paint and I like playing on the trampoline.” “Well,” Adam smiled, sitting up. “My full name is Adam Joseph Copeland, my favorite color is blue, my favorite animals are meerkats, my favorite food is ice cream, I like to read and play my guitar, and I like playing ‘Toy Tag’ with my kids.” “What’s toy tag?” Bayley asked. “You have use a soft toy to play, but whoever is “it,” has to throw it and hit someone else to make them “it”. Then the next person has to tag someone else with the toy and so on.” “That sounds like so much fun!” Dr. Copeland grinned. “It is. You should introduce your brothers and Dads to it.” Bayley giggled. “Daddy might play, but not Papa. He doesn’t like chasing us too much.” Adam hummed in understanding. “He likes to sit down and play, huh?” “Mhm!” Bayley bounced in her seat, then looked over her shoulder at the shelf. Adam watched her. “Do you want to play something?” “No thank you, just looking.” She then turned back around to look back at the doctor. “My Daddy and Papa said that you’re a talking doctor that tries to make us feel better inside our head. Is that true?” “That is absolutely correct.” “That’s good,” Bayley said softly. “Because Cody and Dean really need help.” Dr. Copeland leaned forward. “What about you? Do you think you need help?” She frowned then, shyly, changed the subject to her favorite toys. Bayley never did answer that question.

  
After Bayley was Seth. Seth understood what was going on, but he didn’t understand why _he_ was there. “You Dads told me that you had a hard life before you came to live with them, is that right?” Dr. Copeland asked, leaning back on the couch. Seth sat in the bean bag. “Yeah but I’m okay. I don’t get nightmares all the time like Dean and Cody. They’re the ones who need help, especially Dean.” “What makes you think you don’t need help? Besides the nightmares.” Seth frowned a little, then shrugged. Adam gave him a small smile. “Some people need help without even realizing it. Your Dads know about your struggle and thought it might be a good idea to talk about it.” Seth slumped back. “Oh…I didn’t know that.” “And that’s okay,” Adam reassured. “Now, you said you don’t get nightmares _all the time_ ; wanna tell me about that?” Seth looked away at that. He doesn’t really know Dr. Copeland yet; he’s not going to talk about **her** right now. _Maybe…maybe I do need help._

  
And last was Dean. Dean, attitude and all, stormed into the office and slumped down on the couch, arms crossed. “Look, I don’t need help. I’m not going to talk or answer any of your stupid questions, so don’t bother.” Dr. Copeland raised his eyebrows, smirking a little. “Okay then, I’ll talk. Doesn’t matter if you listen or not, but I don’t really like awkward silences.” So, Adam talked. He talked about his wife Lita, and his three kids AJ, Kaitlyn and Philip. He talked about the pets he had growing up, and his move from Florida. He just talked and talked until the fifteen minutes was up. During that time, Dean didn’t speak up, but he did become less tense. Adam took that as a small victory.  
It may be the summer, but the kids still had a designated bedtime. By 10 o’clock, they’ve all been put to bed. Now, Randy and Roman anxiously waited for Adam’s call. A moment later, Randy’s phone rang.

  
“Hello?” “Hey man, is Roman with you?” “Yeah, you’re on speaker.” “Awesome, you ready to talk about your kids?” It was silent for a moment until Roman awkwardly cleared his throat. “Y-yeah. What’d you got for us?” “I’m going to start off with saying, I’m going to recommend Cody to one of my colleagues.” Randy flinched and mumbled, “That bad?” “Oh, no!” Adam chuckled. “Not at all, and I’m going to tell you why.” There was some shuffling on the other end. “Cody has extreme separation anxiety, which you already know; and it’s not that I can’t handle it, it’s just that I think he might benefit more with a therapist that does home-visits.” Randy and Roman were intrigued now. “Therapist sessions are typically an hour long, right? Cody barley lasted ten minutes with me. I think he may benefit with appointments at home, at least until he learns not to be so dependent on you two. Her name is Mandy Deville-Rose. I’ll email her contact information tomorrow morning.” Randy and Roman seemed to have a silent conversation. _This is what is best for Cody._ “That makes sense. Thank you for trying to work with him.” “It’s my job,” Adam chuckled. “So, Bayley…” Pages were flipped on the other end. “Okay so, Bayley understood why she had to see a ‘talking doctor…’ nice description, by the way, I love it.” Roman laughed. “But she never did answer my question if she thought she needed help. She told me Dean and Cody needed help, but not if she did too.” “Honestly, we don’t know when Bayley’s last nightmare was, or if she even gets them anymore,” Randy said softly. “She doesn’t come to talk to us anymore if something’s bothering her.” “Oh, I’m pretty sure there is,” Adam said. “She changed the subject after I asked her that question, so I’m pretty sure something is bothering her. I want to get her to be more comfortable with talking about her problems.” Roman closed his eyes and sighed. _Adam is a savior._ “What about Seth?” “Honestly, Seth was a little hard to read, and I think it was because he was confused at why he had to come too. But I told him that sometimes, people need help without even realizing it, so that gave him something to think about.” “He told us that,” Randy chuckled. “He was zoned out most of the day after the appointment. I’m pretty sure he was thinking about it.” “That’s good,” Adam hummed. “Because one of my goals is to get the kids to understand why their Dads think they need help, then we can go from there. He also told me that he gets nightmares sometimes; I think it slipped out really. He didn’t elaborate though.” “That’s true,” Roman mumbled. “They’re not rare for him, but they’re not common either. They’re like…in-between.” “I see,” Adam murmured. “I’ll put those in my notes.” It was silent for a minute, until the doctor spoke up again. “I would like to see Dean twice a week if that works with your schedules.” “Why?” Randy and Roman both asked, eyes wide. “It’s not bad, I promise. But I feel like he’s going to be the hardest to crack. He didn’t talk at all; I did all the talking for those fifteen minutes.” “Oh Dean,” Randy groaned. “No no, this isn’t bad, remember? He swore to me that he doesn’t need help, but his hostile attitude and his body language said otherwise. So, I would like to see him twice a week if possible.” The three talked for a little more, setting up schedules for sessions; Cody’s was undetermined since they still needed to talk to Dr. Deville-Rose, the other three have a session on Monday afternoons since Roman works from home those days, and Dean has an additional session on Thursday mornings. “Thank you so much Adam,” Randy said after they finished. “Seriously, thank you.” “No problem guys, I’m happy to help. This is the first step for your kids to start moving on from they’re past.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, ALL the kids will going to therapy. You will see why in the coming chapters.
> 
> Also, incase you forgot, Ms.B is Cody's plush panda, and Kenzie is his plush bunny. These names are important, I promise.


	9. Words

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CAUTION: Cody is adorable as hell in the first half of this chapter. You've been warned.

That next morning, Randy was woken up by Cody crawling into his bed next to him. “Daddy? Are you awake?” Randy smiled; his eyes still closed. “I am now buddy.” “Sorry.” Cody cuddled up next to him. Randy opened his eyes and looked at his alarm clock. 7:02 a.m. _That’s the earliest he’s woken up this week._ “Cody, is Papa still here?” He felt the little boy nod against his side. “Downstairs with Dean.” That made Randy frown. “Dean’s awake?” _He isn’t usually up this early._ “Mhm. I don’t think Deanie went to bed Daddy.” “Why do you think that?” “It’s purple under his eyes, like when Papa doesn’t go to bed.” Randy sighed softly, pulling Cody closer to him. _So, it seemed that Dean was keeping himself awake again so he couldn’t dream. That’s okay, we can handle that._ “Okay bubba, let’s get up now. I gotta make breakfast.” Cody groaned as Randy climbed out of bed. “Want snuggles Dada.” _Dada? That’s new._ “After breakfast okay?” Randy expected Cody to whine a little (it’s all he’s been doing these days), but his little boy only huffed and flopped back down on the bed. Randy chuckled then went into the bathroom to do his business. When he came back out, Cody was still sprawled out on the bed. “Wanna come downstairs with me? Or are you just going to chill out up here?” Cody stayed still for a second before he stood up on the bed, holding his arms out. “Carry me please?” Randy was going to say no, he really was, but he knew if he did, Cody would throw a fit. It was way too early for a tantrum. So, reluctantly, he lifted Cody into his arms, chuckling softly when his little boy squealed and kicked his legs in delight. He was halfway downstairs when he realized Cody might be missing something. “Cody? Where are Kenzie and Ms. B?” “Still sleeping Dada,” Cody mumbled, his pinky in his mouth. _Its been a while since he’s done that._ “Sleeping?” “Mhm. They said it’s too early to be awake, so I let them sleep in.” Randy had to laugh at that, because Cody’s imagination is absolutely precious. “Okay bubba, but don’t let them sleep in too late.”

  
Getting downstairs, Randy still held Cody in his arms as he made his way into the kitchen. He was kind of surprised at not seeing his oldest son there, just Roman eating breakfast at the island. “Morning,” he said, kissing the younger man’s cheek. Cody giggled and patted the same cheek Randy kissed. “Morning Papa.” Roman chuckled and kissed Cody’s hand, then reached up and kissed Randy’s lips. “Morning you two.” “Where’s Deanie Papa?” “He went back to his room to lay down for a little bit.” Randy could tell from the tone of his voice that there was more to it, but smartly decided not to ask with Cody around. Randy was shaken out of his thoughts when Roman suddenly asked, “Why are guys up so early?” Cody wiggled down from Randy’s arms and held onto Roman’s knees, bouncing in place. “Couldn’t stay asleep Papa. I have a party inside my tummy!” “A party, huh?” Roman chuckled. “Is the party telling you to jump like you’re doing right now?” “Yes!” Cody squealed. Roman chuckled again then looked at his husband. Randy shrugged and smiled. “He woke me up so, here I am.” “Ah, okay.” Roman reached down and lifted up Cody so he was sitting on his knee. “So, Cody and I had a talk before Dean came upstairs.” “Oh yeah? About what?” Randy asked as he started getting ingredients out to make pancakes. “We talked about how his ‘Talking Doctor” is going to come here instead of bringing him to the office. That way, he won’t be alone.” Cody nodded his head and hummed. “I don’t like being alone Dada.” Roman gave Randy a wide-eyed glance but he only shook his head. “Not now,” he face said. Roman nodded in understanding. Averting his attention, Randy sent his youngest son a small smile. “I know bubba, you won’t be alone, I promise.” Cody, content with his answer, leaned back against Roman. It was silent for a couple minutes until Roman stood up, sitting Cody up on the island. “I have to meet with a couple clients today, but I should be back at about four or so. Maybe we can go out to eat at a restaurant and then ice cream, after? Maybe?” Cody’s eyes widened and turned his head toward his Daddy. “Please Dada, please? I want ice cream!” A family outing did sound good. And after the events of this week, they needed a break. “Sure. How does Italian sound?” Roman smirked and leaned over the island, kissing Randy’s cheek and whispering, “Italian sounds amazing.” Randy didn’t know why that made him blush, but it did, causing the Samoan man to laugh. He then went over and kissed Cody’s head. “Bye bubba, I’ll see you later.” “Bye Papa!"

  
Ten minutes after Roman left for work, Bayley woke up. By then, Randy had finished the pancakes; Cody was sitting at the island eating. “Morning Princess,” Randy said, leaning down and kissing her forehead. Bayley yawned and smiled. “Morning Daddy, morning Cody.” Cody smiled with his mouth still full of pancakes and waved. “Did Papa go to work already?” She asked as she climbed up on a stool. Randy gave her a plate of pancakes. “Yeah, he left a little bit ago. But he’s going to be back early today, so we’re going out to eat and then ice cream after.” Bayley smiled and kicked her legs. “I love ice cream.” “I know you do sweetheart.”

  
Cody and Bayley had just finished eating and moved to the living room to watch tv when Seth came upstairs. “Dad, I think you should talk to Dean.” Randy shut the dishwasher and turned toward his second oldest son. “Why? What’s wrong?” “He said he didn’t sleep,” Seth answered nervously. “And he was awake really, really early, but he didn’t want to talk to Papa about it, so he came back down to ‘sleep for a bit,’ (Seth put air-quotes around that bit). But he crawled into bed with me and I still don’t think we went to sleep.” At this point, Seth had worked himself up so bad that Randy hand to get down to his knees. “Hey kiddo, I need you to calm down, okay?” “I can’t!” Seth cried. “He won’t talk to me! Ever since we went to that stupid therapist yesterday, he stopped talking! This is YOUR FAULT!” Randy ignored that part and just pulled his son into his arms while he sobbed. Well…he never expected Seth to become so protected of dean but, here they are. “Shh, shh, you’re okay.” “But Dean isn’t,” Seth sobbed sadly, looking up from Randy’s shoulder. “I-I’m sorry I yelled but you have to talk to him. Please.” “I will, okay? I’ll go right now. The extra pancakes are in the oven; go eat some breakfast, and after I’m done talking to Dean, we’ll talk, alright?” Seth nodded and wiped his eyes. “O-okay.” Randy kissed his hair, gave him a reassuring smile, then made his way down to the basement. _Lord, give me strength._

  
Seth and Dean’s bedroom door was open when he got downstairs. Knocking on the doorframe, Randy peeked his head in. “Dean?” Just like his second oldest said, Dean was curled up in Seth’s bed, his back to the door. Randy walked in and sat near his feet. “Hey buddy,” he whispered, rubbing Dean’s back. “Go away. I don’t want to talk to you.” “Are you still mad about seeing Dr. Copeland yesterday?” “Yes. Now go away. I don’t want to talk to you.” Dean moved so Randy’s hand wasn’t touching him anymore and the man sighed. “Dean, you know we’re doing this to help you, right? We explained this.” “And I explained that I don’t need help.” The ten-year-old suddenly threw the comforter off him and sat up. Randy flinched. _Wow, Cody wasn’t wrong about the ‘purple’ under his eyes._ “I know you don’t see it now but seeing Dr. Copeland will help you in the long run. I promise you.” “But I have to talk, and I don’t want to talk to him. I don’t need help Randy. You and Roman need to start listening to me,” Dean spat out. Randy was taken back, and he could feel the anger bubbling under his skin. “We do listen to you Dean,” Randy said sternly. “But we also try to figure out what’s best for you kids. Seeing a therapist is what’s best for you guys in this given situation right now.” “You and Roman aren’t even my Dads, so why do you care?” The last time Randy had felt this hurt was when he revealed his sexuality to his parents, and they yelled at him. He had hoped to never experience that pain again. But this? This was so much worse. Standing up, he said, “Pancakes are upstairs whenever you feel like eating,” then left, shutting the bedroom door. He barley made it to the kids’ playroom before he had to lean against the way to stop the tears from flowing. He knew Dean didn’t mean for it to hurt, but it did, and he didn’t know what to do.

  
Back in the bedroom, Dean instantly wanted to take back what he said when he saw the hurt look on Randy’s face. “I didn’t mean it,” he whispered tearfully to an empty room. “Dad…Daddy, I didn’t mean it. Please Dad” _Please come back._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dean and Randy are going to be butting heads a lot more in the future. This is just the beginning :)
> 
> Also, I plan on introducing Bayley, Roman, and more of Seth's struggles soon, I'm just trying to figure out how I want to do it


	10. Another Talk, Books and Friends

Dean did eventually go upstairs for breakfast, and by then, everyone was in the living room in front of the tv; Cody was snuggling with Randy, Seth was sitting next to them and Bayley was laying on the floor playing on Randy’s iPad. Dean made it a mission to not make eye contact with Randy as he walked by. He was ashamed; he didn’t mean what he said. He does see Randy and Roman as his Dads; he doesn’t know why he said that to him. Dean located the left-over pancakes and heated them up in the microwave. He must have been a lot more checked out than he thought, because he didn’t hear Randy come up behind him. He jumped when he turned around, almost dropping his plate of pancakes. “You’re okay,” the older man said quickly, holding Dean’s arms to keep him from dropping his food. Dean took a deep breath. “S-scared me.” “Sorry kiddo. I called out your name. I thought you heard me.” Dean gave him a questioning look, but Randy only shook his head. “Nevermind. Let’s go sit in the dinning room instead of at the island. I think we should talk…again.” Dean gulped. _You really did it this time Dean. You screwed up, like Mom and David said you always do. He’s going to send you away now._ They had only been in the dining room for a couple seconds when, Dean couldn’t hold it anymore. “I’m sorry!” He blurted out. “I didn’t mean it! You and Roman are my Dads! Please don’t send me away!” Randy eye’s widened. “W-what? Dean, we’re not going to send you away.” “But I said you weren’t my Dads,” the boy mumbled back sadly. He wasn’t crying, but he was close to it. “I know you didn’t mean it kiddo. It still hurt, and it wasn’t nice, but I know you were just upset.” Randy pulled Dean into a hug, smiling softly as he instantly relaxed in his arms. “Nothing you do will ever make us send you away. You’re stuck with us for a long-time kiddo. I need you to understand that.” Dean nodded, but he really wanted to ask, _“How long is a long time?”_ But held his tongue. He’s not adopted yet, and Randy and Roman haven’t come to him to talk about adopting him, so they could very much send him away if they really wanted to. So, he kept his mouth shut, opting to cuddle closer into Randy’s chest instead. A couple minutes later, Randy pulled back and brushed his hair back, smiling softly. “Feel better?” _No._ “Yes. Thank you.” “No problem Dean. Now, we still need to talk.” The ten-year-old tensed but nodded in understanding. “I just want to tell you that, you can be mad at us all you want, but you will be going to therapy. This isn’t something we’re going to argue about because, whether you admit it or not, you need help.” “But I don’t-,” the protest died in Dean’s mouth when he saw the stern look Randy gave him. “You may not see it now, but you do need help. These nightmares are only going to continue on a nightly basis unless you talk about your Mom and David, and what went on that night.” Dean looked down, crossing his arms over his chest. “B-but…I don’t…” He sighed. “Its scary. I don’t want to talk about them or what happened that night. I can’t even think about it because I get scared, but they’re in jail so I shouldn’t be.” Randy this time, pulled Dean sideways onto his lap and hugged him tightly. He kissed the top of the boy’s head and rested his cheek there. “Now do you see why you need help? Talking about it will help you move past it, I promise. We, promise. And we never what?” “You never break your promises,” Dean answered back softly. “Exactly.” Randy kissed his cheek one last time then moved him back to his own seat. “Now, finish eating and then get dressed.” Dean picked up his fork and frowned slightly. “Where are we going?” “The bookstore first, and then to the park. We’re meeting up with friends today, remember?” Dean gasped. “That’s today?!” Randy laughed. “Yep! Now hurry up and eat so we can go.”

  
Cody’s wardrobe originally consisted of some of Seth’s hand-me downs and the clothes he brought with him. It’s been months, meaning that they’ve bought him new clothes over time. In no way did Randy think, the only TWO neon things they got him would ever be worn together at the same time. Seriously, Cody looked like a walking highlighter in his neon green muscle shirt, neon orange Nike shorts, white socks, and his favorite black and blue light up sketcher sneakers. But Cody had been so proud of picking out his own clothes without needing his help that Randy just let it go. Pulling up to the bookstore, Randy turned back in his seat. “Alright gremlins, listen up.” The kids giggled at the nickname, even Dean (which Randy was so happy about). “Two books each. Nothing more, and nothing less. Got it?” The kids agreed, and they went inside the store. This particular bookstore, called, “The Flair Book-Café,” was a bookstore on one side, and a coffee café/ bakery on the other. It opened seven months ago and almost instantly became one of the hottest bookstores in town. The kids needing more books to continue their summer reading was a good excuse to check it out. A lady with blonde hair and a soft smile greeted them as they came in. “Hello! Welcome to The Flair Book-Café! Is there anything particular you’re looking for today?” Randy smiled back. “Ah, yes. We’re looking for children’s books?” “Of course! I can show you where those are. Follow me.” They followed her to the back of the store and was greeted with the entire back half of the store being mostly children’s books. “Wow,” Bayley whispered softly, looking around. “So, these shelves are all organized by grade level,” Charlotte explained. “They are also organized by genre. Like here is fiction, non-fiction, etcetera. And over here, we have some famous children authors; Dr. Seuss, Judy Blume, Beverley Clearly, and Jeff Kinney, just to name a few. And next to those are famous series. Those are also separated by grade level.” Charlotte turned back and smiled at the excited kids. “Any questions?” Randy shook his head. “No thank you. This place looks really cool. We’ll defiantly be back soon.” Charlotte laughed and then left the family to their business. The children’s section wasn’t terribly huge, but it was big enough for a two bean-bag chairs, three plush chairs, a rainbow rug and a rocking chair. Randy wondered if story time was ever held here. Turning back to his kids, he smiled and spread his arms. “Go nuts.” Dean and Seth took that literally, immediately running over to the fifth-grade section. Bayley, the literally princess she is, calmly walked over to the famous authors section. Cody stayed by his side, looking up at him sheepishly. “Will you help me Dada?” _Planned on it anyway._ “Of course, bubba, let’s go look around.”

  
Randy had to give his kids credit, after some initial no’s because the books were either way to easy or way too hard/inappropriate for them to be reading (Dean had wondered to the James Patterson mystery section, which Randy shut down real quick,) they picked out some pretty good books to finish out their summer reading. Bayley got The Magic Treehouse books 1-4 (they came in sets of four so Randy agreed to buy them), Cody picked out The Lorax and James and the Giant Peach, Seth got Bridge to Terabithia and the Chronicles of Narnia (the first one), and Dean picked out Treasure Island and Wonder, by R.J. Palacio. Randy even picked up a J.A. Jance book to read for himself. After paying and thanking Charlotte one last time, Randy drove them to the park. Cody was basically vibrating in his seat when he pulled up, causing Randy to chuckle. “Excited bubba?” “Yes!” Cody cheered. “Haven’t seen Enzo and Sami in a long time!” “Same with Finn,” Seth said, Dean nodding along. “And Sasha!” Bayley piped up. “Well the faster we get this stuff out of the car the faster we’ll see them.” Randy said as he pulled out the bag full of snacks and drinks. Dean and Seth carried the long board and football, Cody carried the soccer ball and basketball, and Bayley rode her scooter. Walking through the gate, Randy spotted where everyone was sitting and guided the kids over there. “Sami! Enzo!” Cody squealed as he got close enough, dropping the balls and running to give his best friends a hug. Seth and Dean lit up at seeing Finn, and Bayley was equally as happy to see Sasha. The kids gave the other adults sitting at the picnic tables a quick greeting before taking off; the three younger boys for the basketball courts, the three older ones for the grassy area with the football, and the girls to the playground. Randy stared at them in disbelief before plopping down next to Sheamus, Finn’s dad and across from Becky (aka the kids’ pediatrician) Sami’s mom. Sasha and Enzo’s parents, Colin and Carmela sat diagonal from him. “Uh, sorry about them,” Randy said sheepishly, rubbing the back of their next. “I swear, they have manners.” “Colin let out a booming laugh. “We know, they’re just excited to be reunited with friends.” “Yeah…sorry about that too. It’s been hectic these past couple weeks with moving and stuff. _And personal things._ “Don’t worry about it,” Sheamus said, patting his back. “So, how have things been?”

  
An hour after arriving at the park, Randy’s phone rang. Looking at the screen, he groaned softly. _Mom._ “I have to take this,” he told the other parents, sending them an apologetic look. Walking a little ways away, he answered the phone. “Hi Mom.” “Hi Randy, how are you?” “I’m um…fine. You?” “I’m good. Are you sure you’re fine? You kind of hesitated.” Randy sighed. “Just a little stressed right now but I’m fine. Now, I don’t mean to be rude but, why did you call?” “Well...” Elaine swallowed. “Your Dad and I were talking, and we were wondering if you and Roman could come over for dinner on Sunday?” “Sunday is two days away, Mom.” “I know it’s last minute,” she said quickly. “But it doesn’t have to be this Sunday.” Randy frowned and thought about it. But then he remembered that Dean, Seth and Bayley have therapy on Mondays now. The appointments were in the afternoon sure, but they still had to get up early. “How about next Friday night? Roman has…work on Mondays and we’d rather not stay out too late.” “Roman said yes already?” Elaine asked, kind of shocked. “Haven’t asked because he’s at work ,but I’ll let you know what he says tomorrow.” “Alright. And Friday works, by the way. Same time as Sunday.” It was silent for a moment, until Elaine whispered, “Love you Randy.” The older man bit his lip and mumbled, “Bye Mom,” then hung up. He sighed and leaned against the tree he was under. Convincing Roman to go wasn’t going to be a problem because he had wanted to go last time. What was going to be hard was Cody’s separation anxiety. Both of them would be out and he wondered how his little boy would deal. Walking back to the tables, Randy sudden stopped, breath catching in his throat. He still never told Roman about the last dinner he had with his parents, and about Stacy. _Oh shit._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter, we finally get to know what happened at Randy's parent's house :)


	11. What Happened on Sunday?

“I need to talk to you about something.”

  
The kids were finally settled into bed when Randy brought said those words. The two men were getting ready for bed themselves. “Okay…” Roman trailed off, giving his husband a concerned look. “Did something happen today?” Randy sighed and sat on the edge of their bed. “Yes and no. This has nothing to do with the kids though.” “Alright. Let me go brush my teeth and then we can talk.” Randy was settled in bed by the time Roman was finished. He too climbed into bed and pulled his husband into his arms. “Ready to talk?” “Yeah,” Randy mumbled, breathing deeply. “I want to tell you what happened when I had dinner with my parents earlier this week.”

_**Five Days Ago, …** _

  
Randy stood shocked at seeing Stacey Keibler, his middle school best friend, right in front of him, at his _parents’_ house of all places. “Stacy? What are…what are you doing here? I thought you moved away to Seattle?” Stacy chuckled. “We did. But I recently decided to move back. I did come back about nine years ago but….it didn’t really work out like I thought it would, so I moved to New York. Been there ever since, until now.” Randy shuffled restlessly and stepped inside the house. “What made you want to move back again?” He asked, shoving his hands into his pockets. Stacey shrugged. “I needed to get away. I love New York, but these past two years have been hard.” Randy chuckled. “Trust me, I understand needing to get away.” Stacey glanced up at him, giving him a small smile. “I’m guessing you told them already?” “What? That I’m gay? Sure did, and then they basically banished me.” Randy scoffed, then mumbled. “I don’t even know why I’m here.” He then eyed his old friend suspiciously. “Why are you here? At my parent’s house, I mean.” “I just came into town, actually. My car is out front; I don’t know if you saw it.” “You drove here?” Randy asked, shocked. “From New York?” “Yep.” She grinned. “It was pretty cool. Highly do recommend you go on a road trip before you die.” Stacey sighed. “Anyways, I don’t move into my apartment until tomorrow. I stopped by here hoping you and your parents would be here; I remember your Sunday dinners from middle school.” “Oh yeah. I invited you to a couple of those,” Randy chuckled. Stacey smiled. “I just stopped by to say hello, honestly. But then your Dad convinced me to stay for dinner. And then your Mom basically threatened me to stay the night instead of going to the hotel I already booked so…here I am.” “Well, it’s nice to see you again Stacey,” Randy mumbled, opening his arms up. Stacey smiled and walked into his arms, giving him a hug. “You too, Randy.” Their moment was ruined all too soon when Randy’s Dad, Robert (Bob) suddenly appeared in the doorway of the foyer. “Randal? Is that you?” Randy pulled back from his hug with Stacey and glanced at him, going tense all over again. “Yeah. Hi Dad.” “Oh, my son.” Bob came closer, but luckily kept his hands to himself. “I’m so happy to see you. You’ve…you’ve changed so much. You even have a beard now.” Randy ducked his head and smiled a tiny bit. “I know Dad. It’s um…it’s nice to see you too.” And it was, honestly. He’s still angry with his parents but he would be lying to himself if he said he hasn’t missed them too. “Where’s Mom?” “In the kitchen. Come on, I’ll take you to her.” Randy sent Stacey a pleading look before following his Father into the further into the house. Randy didn’t know what he was expected seeing his Mom for the first time in twelve years, but it certainly wasn’t the fact that she still looked the same, just more wrinkles, lighter hair and now, glasses. She was currently setting the table. “Honey, Randal’s here.” Elaine looked up so fast, gasping softly. “Oh, my goodness.” She set down the cup she was holding and slowly walked closer to the duo. She reached out her hands to touch his face, but Randy backed up. Elaine froze for a second, then smiled, putting her arms down. “It’s so nice to see you Randy. I’ve miss you so much. We’ve missed you so much.” “I’ve missed you too Mom,” he whispered, giving her a smile. Bob cleared his throat just as Stacey walked in. “Well um, dinner’s ready. We can eat and then we can talk if that’s okay?” “That’s fine Dad. What’s for dinner?”

  
Dinner was awkward to say the least. No one knew what to say to break the silence. Stacey was the one that eventually spoke up. She talked about her high school years and her modeling job she booked after graduating college; she spoke about New York too, but she seemed a little uncomfortable after a while, so Randy decided to bring up their adventures in middle school. Elaine and Bob joined it too. “Remember that one time we tried to ride our bikes over that creek?” Randy said, laughing a little. “Oh yeah! And Josh hit a rock at the last second and went flying inside?” Stacey said and everyone cracked up. Bob wiped his eyes and blew out a breath. “He was staying with us for a couple days. He came home covered in mud and had a busted lip. That was hard to explain to his parents when they came back.” After that, the dinner conversation was light. It was near the end when Elaine decided to speak up again, but on a more serious note. “Randy? I may be pushing but can you um, can we know about your kids?” Randy clammed up for a second, completely taken off guard. He hadn’t expected his Mom to ask about them tonight. But honestly. He was pretty happy she asked. _This way, if we make up, the kids will have another set a grandparents. They’ll like that._ So, Randy talked. He spoke of Dean and his interests in all things science, Seth and his interest in building and basic engineering, Bayley and her amazing art, and Cody, who was basically exploring anything and everything at the moment. He spoke of how he and Roman plan on adopting Dean and Cody (he looked at their faces when he mentioned Roman, but they stayed neutral), he even brought up the sports he planned on putting all the kids in when Fall came. At the end, he pulled out his phone and showed everyone a picture. It was a picture of the day they moved into their house; Nikki had it. Bayley was on Randy’s shoulders, Dean and Seth had their arms swung over each other shoulders, and Cody was held bridal style in Roman’s arms because he was squirmy that day. His parent’s cooed and stated how he couldn’t wait to meet them someday. Randy was excited for that day too. While he continued talking about his kids, he noticed how Stacey was still looking at the picture, like she was analyzing it, but he thought nothing of it.

  
After dinner, Stacey opted to sit on the back porch with a drink because, “This talk has nothing to do with me.” Randy was glad; he didn’t really want more of his business out there. He, Bob and Elaine all sat down in the living room. It was silent for a couple minutes until Bob spoke up. “I know…I know that this apology will not excuse the fact that we’ve just now reaching out after twelve years but…we’re sorry. We’re sorry for hurting you, we’re sorry for hurting Roman.” “We’re sorry for everything we said,” Elaine added pitifully. “You’re an amazing son and we are not ashamed of you. The world has changed and unfortuanly, it took us far too long to notice that. There is nothing wrong with you sexuality. We were wrong, and we’re sorry.” Randy swallowed hard and looked away. He can tell when people are lying (he has four kids man); and his parents aren’t. His Dad looks so ashamed and his Mom was equally as upset. _They’re actually sorry._ “It’s…” he sighed softly. “I forgive you.” Both his parents’ eyes widened. “You…you do?” Bob asked, standing up is disbelief. His Mom was shocked too. Randy nodded. “I-I do. I’m pretty good at telling when people lie and…you guys are being sincere. So yes, I forgive you.” Both Bob and Elaine sighed in relief. “But you still have to apologize to Roman, and I’m still not going to trust you yet, understand? That’s going to take some time.” Both parents nodded. “We understand,” Elaine confirmed. After that, it was smooth sailing. Stacey eventually came back in and they talked for a bit again before Randy decided he needed to leave. As he was grabbing his wallet and keys from the kitchen his Mom followed him in. “It was nice to see Stacey again, wasn’t it?” she asked. Randy chuckled and nodded. “Yeah, it’s been awhile.” “You know, her Mom and I used to talk about what your kids would look like if you two ever got married. Your Dad too. You two would have had the cutest children.” Randy frowned, sharply turning to look at his Mother. “Why are you telling me this?” Elaine shrugged. “No reason, really. Just something we used to do when you were little. I’m sure all parents do it.” Randy huffed, annoyed. “I’m sure they do, but this is not the appropriate time to bring up something so irrelevant. I’m gay Mom. Stacey and I will never get married.” “I know that Randy,” Elaine frowned. “It was just something I thought was cute at the time. Sorry I brought it up.” Randy rolled his eyes and turned away from her. He didn’t know why the comment bothered him so much, but now he’s annoyed. “Bye Mom.” Walking out of the kitchen, he also said goodbye to his Dad. Stacey was surprisedly waiting for him at the door. She smiled a him and gave him a hug. “Glad I got to see you again Randy.” He hugged her back. “You too, Stacey. Hopefully I’ll see you soon. Maybe you could come down to St. Louis, meet Roman and my kids.” “I’d love too.”

**_Present…_ **

  
Roman looked at his husband confused. “I’m not…am I supposed to be seeing red flags? Because I didn’t hear any.” Randy sat up quick, giving him a bewildered look. “W-what?” he sputtered out. “I’m pretty sure that now that Stacey is back, my Mom is going to try to set me up with her!” “But you told me they were sincere about their apology.” “They were but…” Randy shook his head. “Maybe…maybe I’m just being overly paranoid. I mean, I was so stressed going over there anyway.” Roman pulled his husband back down and kissed his cheek, then trailed down to his jaw. “And that’s okay. Your parents were sincere about their apology, and that’s all that really matters, right? Now all they have to do is gain your trust back and they can meet the kids.” Randy sunk lower into the mattress and closed his eyes, sighing softly as Roman’s lips trailed down to his neck. “Yeah, you’re right.”

_What could possibly go wrong?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not really confident with this chapter. I feel like it is very underwhelming :/ Hopefully you guys didn't think it was.
> 
> Anyways, mostly likely will not update again this week because I have finals, ugh. Wish me luck!


	12. Please Keep this Secret

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DESCRIPTIONS OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE AHEAD! PLEASE READ WITH CAUTION!

_“Your real Mommy didn’t want you because you’re a bad boy.”_

_“I-I…m’not bad. I good! I a good boy!”_

_“You’re not Sethie Bear, you’re a bad boy, and I’m going to teach you how to be good…”_

Seth quickly sat up in bed, breathing hard. He shivered and looked toward the other side of the room. Dean was luckily still asleep. Seth swallowed hard and pulled his knees to his chest, blinking his tears away. _She’s gone Seth, she’s gone. She’s in jail now. She can’t hurt you anymore._ So why did he feel so unsafe? He sniffled softly and wiped the tears away that eventually dripped down his cheeks. He could go upstairs and get Dad and Papa, but he didn’t want to wake them up at two in the morning. But he also didn’t want to sleep in his own bed either. He eventually decided to slide into bed with Dean. It would be a tight fit, but he knew Dean wouldn’t mind. He tiptoed across their shared room and quietly tried to slide in bed next to Dean. But once he got settled, he realized his brother wasn’t really asleep. After Seth was laid down, Dean turned over a faced him. Seth sighed softly. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.” “S’okay,” Dean mumbled back. “I wasn’t really asleep anyway.” Seth nodded and closed his eyes, not expecting his brother to speak up again. “Did you have another nightmare?” “What makes you say that?” “Well you’re in my bed, Seth.” “Maybe…maybe I just wanted to be close to you.” Dean shifted so he was closer to his younger brother. “It’s okay to have a nightmare Seth, you know this. I get them all the time.” “I know but,” Seth huffed. “She’s in jail. I shouldn’t be afraid of her anymore.” Dean scoffed, poking Seth’s arm. “So? My nightmares are about Mom and David but they’re in jail. I’m still scared of them even though they can’t hurt me anymore.” Seth groaned and turned his back to Dean, but his brother wasn’t finished. “Who’s ‘she’ anyway? Is she your Mom?” “No!” Seth snapped suddenly, jerking back around and shoving his brother. “She is NOT my Mom! She will never be my Mom, so don’t…” Seth’s bottom lip quivered. “D-don’t call her that. Ever.” Dean eyes widened as he swallowed hard. “Seth?” No answer, just quiet sniffles. “Sethie? I-I’m sorry. I didn’t know. I just…you never talk about her, so, I didn’t know who she was to you. I’m sorry.” Seth was still silent, but he eventually wrapped his arm around Dean; Dean hugged him back tightly. “If I tell you about her and why I’m still scared, you have to promise not to tell Dad and Papa, okay?” Seth whispered. “I…they don’t know?” Dean asked, dumbfounded. “Some of it, but not all. Please Dean, there are some things that I don’t want them to know yet. You have to promise.” Dean squeezed his brother a little and nodded. “I promise.”

  
“My real Mom didn’t want to keep me because she was still in high school, so after I was born, she put me up for adoption. When I was three, I went…” Seth took a deep breath. “I went to go live with this lady -her, - from my dreams. She wanted to adopt me because she couldn’t have her own children, for some reason. So, I lived with her for a little bit, but then she started to hit me ever time I did something wrong. If I played with my toys too loudly, she hit me; if I didn’t sing the ABC song right, she hit me. She even hurt me if I didn’t eat all my food. Soon, she started to…she…” Seth choked up, letting out a shaky breath. Dean patted his back slightly. ‘You don’t have to tell me, Seth.” “This is the part Dad and Papa don’t know.” The younger boy whispered. “You promised not to tell, remember?” “Y-yeah,” Dean sputtered. “Is it bad?” “I…think so.” Seth whispered back, a tear slipping down his cheek. “One day, after my bath, she was supposed to help me put my pajamas on, but then she told me she wanted to play a new game.” Seth hiccupped and started to tremble. “She…she made me stay naked and touched me down there; the touching was different from when she used to give me a bath.” Dean’s breath hitch, his heart pounding against his chest while Seth sobbed softly next to him. “And she…and then she put like, lotion on her finger or something and…and…she put it inside me. Like, she put her finger in my butt. It hurt really bad and I started to cry but she hit me and told me if I didn’t shut up, she would hurt me worse. So, I just…I didn’t do anything. She made me keep it a secret. I still haven’t told anyone except you.” Dean was speechless, blinking rapidly and swallowing hard. “She did that to me everyday for hours. Then she was taken away because someone told the police they saw bruises on me. I was taken away, lived with Dad and Papa for a little, and then after a while, they sent me back. She did it again, and again and she…s-she didn’t stop! It hurt so bad!” At this point, Seth tears were uncontrollable, and he was shaking badly. “And then, one day, I was taken away and was never sent back. She went to jail, and I went to three families until I ended up with Dad and Papa again. I’ve been here ever since then.” Seth was now completely sobbing, and Dean was quick to sit up and give his brother a hug. “Seth,” his whispered shakily. “She…that’s really bad, Seth. What she did is really, really, bad. You have to tell someone.” “No!” Seth shouted, quickly lifting his head. “You promised! You can’t tell!” “Seth!” Dean hissed, grabbing Seth shoulders tightly and shook him a little. “No one is allowed to touch you down there, remember? They taught us that at school. You know that!” “Yeah but,” More tears dripped from Seth’s eyes. “I-I still don’t know why it’s bad.” “That’s why we need to tell Dad and Papa, so they can tell us why it’s bad.” “Dean, no,” Seth whined, wiping his eyes. “Please don’t. I’ll tell them eventually. But, not now. Please? I-I don’t want them to know until I’m ready.” Dean looked at his brother sadly but nodded. “Okay. But you have to promise you will tell them. Please Seth, they need to know.” Seth sighed and wiped his eyes again, sniffling pitifully. “Y-yeah, I promise.” Dean then pulled his brother into another hugged, which Seth accepted gratefully. They stayed like that for several minutes until eventually, they decided to lay back down; close enough to bask in each other’s warmth. “Dean?” Seth whispered after a while. “Why don’t you call Randy and Roman, Dad and Papa.” “I do...” Dean whispered back sheepishly. “But not to their faces. You don’t call them that unless you’re talking to me, Bayley or Cody.” “I just…I don’t want to talk about this,” Dean said, clenching his jaw. “Sorry,” Seth said regretfully. “I don’t know why I asked that.” “It’s okay, you’re my little brother. You’re supposed to ask stupid questions sometimes.” “Shut up!” Seth sneered, and Dean laughed softly. “Let’s just go to sleep now.” Both boys closed their eyes. “Night Dean.” “Night Seth.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been struggling with how to write about Seth's past for awhile now but this idea just suddenly popped into my head and I had to write it out before I lost inspiration. I cranked this out in about 15 minutes so I hope it's good lol
> 
> Let me know what you think!


	13. Monday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Corona virus is in my state ya'll. Thank God I was able to take my finals before my governor closed my school for six weeks. Now I'm just chilling at home with my cats lol

Roman eyed Seth and Dean suspiciously that Monday morning as they ate breakfast. The two of them were unnaturally quiet; Seth was picking at his food and Dean was glancing at his brother worriedly. He knew both boys weren’t really happy about seeing Dr. Copeland later that afternoon, but the way they’re acting…it had to be something else. What was also weird is that they’re the first ones up. Cody, Bayley and Randy were still asleep! “Seth? Dean?” Both boys looked up as Roman sighed softly. “You two okay?” It took a moment, but Dean mustered up a smile. A fake one, Roman noted. It didn’t reach his eyes. “Just tired.” Roman raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure? Seth?” His second oldest couldn’t even look at him, opting to stare down at his cereal instead. “Y-Yeah Papa, just tired.” The Samoan man eyed them again, then sighed softly. “You guys do know you can always come to us if something is bothering you, right?” Roman almost missed it, but Dean’s eyes quickly glanced at Seth then looked away, nodding. “We know.” Hm, so this has to do with Seth. “Okay, as long as you two know that.” The kids then went back to eating silently, and Roman groaned internally. _How am I going to get Seth to talk today?_

  
Randy cracked his eyes open slightly as he felt the bed dip from added weight. He knew it was Cody; his youngest son has been coming into his room to snuggle with him every morning for the past four days now. Turning over, he pulled Cody into a bear hug, causing the six-year-old to giggle. “Hi Dada.” “Morning bubba. Sleep well?” “Mhm,” Cody hummed. “No scary dreams.” “That’s good,” Randy whispered, kissing the little boy’s cheek. “Is Bayley awake yet?” Cody nodded, mumbling out “Bathroom,” before sighing and snuggling close to his Dada. It was a couple of silent minutes later that Bayley wondered in, teddy bear tucked under her arm. Her eyes brightened at seeing her younger brother. “Cody,” she whispered, climbing on the bed and basically sitting on Randy’s legs. “Cody,” she whispered again, completely ignoring her Dad. “After I see Dr. Copeland today, wanna play dress-up with me?” Cody’s eyes widened slightly, and he nodded, a small grin forming on his face. “Superheroes?” “Yeah!” Bayley cheered. “We can play superheroes! I’ll be Black-Widow!” Cody, gasped, quickly sitting up. “And I’ll be Captain America!” “After we go shopping,” Randy said, looking at the two kids.” “What? Why?” Cody whined. “I don’t like shopping.” Randy chuckled softly. “I know, but school starts in about three weeks you two need more clothes.” Bayley squealed and started jumping on the bed. “Yes! I LOVE shopping!” Cody simply groaned and hid his face against Randy’s side. The older man laughed and ruffled his hair. “Don’t worry kiddo, you’ll be fine. After shopping, you a Bayley can play superheroes all you want.”

  
The plan was for Roman to stay home with Cody while Randy took Dean, Seth and Bayley to their appointments. Seth and Dean didn’t protest to that, which confused the hell out of Randy. Those two were kind of upset about having to go last night, and the fact that they stayed silent as he and Roman explained the plan? Something wasn’t right. While the kids were busy doing their chores for the morning, Randy pulled his husband aside. “Okay, lay it on me,” he said. “What’s wrong with Seth and Dean?” “Fuck if I know,” Roman sighed, running his fingers through his hair. “Dean knows something though. Whatever is bothering Seth, Dean knows but he probably promised not to mention anything.” Randy groaned, leaning his head back against the wall. “Do you think it’s bad?” “Honestly, I don’t know babe. Seth is an open book; he always comes to us. I hope that, whatever is bothering him, he’ll eventually tell us. I don’t want to get it out of Dean if it becomes a problem.” Randy snorted. “Yeah, like Dean will tell us. That kid is extremely loyal, especially to Seth. He’ll never break his brother’s trust like that.”

  
At 11:30 a.m., Randy, Dean, Seth and Bayley were off, leaving Cody and his Papa alone. Roman turned to his youngest son; he didn’t tell his husband, but he was pretty excited to spend some one-on-one time with Cody, since it wasn’t common that the little boy came to him for anything. “Okay bubba, what do you want to do while we wait for everyone to get back?” Cody scrunched up his nose in thought, then grinned a moment later. “Hide and seek! I hide first!” Cody got up from the floor and took off, causing Roman to chuckle softly. “Guess I’m counting!”

  
“Its nice to see you again Bayley,” Adam said, sitting at his desk. Bayley smiled and sat on the couch this time. “You too, Dr. Copeland.” “How have you been since the last time I saw you?” “Really good! I got to play with my friend Sasha, and I got new books!” “No way!” Dr. Copeland chuckled. “What books did you get?” “The Magic Treehouse books. I already finished the first one. I like them.” “Do you like reading?” Bayley shrugged, leaning back on the couch. “When I don’t have to do it.” Adam laughed. “That’s understandable. What about your brothers? Do they like to read?” “Seth and Dean do, but Cody only likes it when he’s not moody.” Adam sat up a little, twirling his pen in his hand. “How often is he moody?” Bayley sat and thought for a little bit. “Not… a lot, I don’t think. It’s only when he has scary dreams.” Dr. Copeland tapped his notepad. “What about you? Do you ever get moody?” Bayley frowned and shook her head. “No.” ‘What about scary dreams?” “No.” Adam set his notepad on his desk and stood up, kneeling in front of Bayley. “Bayley, your Dads brought you here because they want you to feel better up here,” he pointed to his head. “It’s okay if you want to tell me something that you don’t necessarily want to tell your Dads. Some things I will have to, but unless you tell me no, I won’t tell them.” Dr. Copeland pulled over the beanbag chair and sat down. “It’s okay to speak your mind here.” Bayley chewed her lip and looked down at her lap. “I…” _You can tell him Bayley. He won’t tell Daddy and Papa if you say not to._ “I…can I tell you some other time?” Adam smiled softly. “You can tell me whatever is bothering you when you’re ready.” Bayley sighed softly and nodded. _Maybe next time._

  
“Okay bubba let’s go eat some lunch and then we can continue playing,” Roman said, coming out of what has had to have been his 50th hiding spot of the hour. Cody giggled and ran out towards the kitchen, his Papa speed walking after him. “Slow down kiddo,” he chuckled. The six-year-old sent him a bright smile while bouncing in place next to the island. “Sorry Papa, I’m hungry!” “Well munchkin,” Roman lifted him onto a chair. “What do you want to eat for lunch?” “Peanut-jelly sandwich and apples please!” Cody answered, squirming in his seat. Roman snorted quietly, not even attempting to correct him. Getting out the ingredients, he quickly whipped up the sandwich and handed to the boy. But when it came to his apples, he decided to try something else. “Hey Cody, how about we try something different today, instead of apples.” ‘Trying something different,’ was not exactly Cody’s cup of tea. Randy and Roman have noticed recently that he doesn’t exactly like change, and they’re hoping that (along with his other problems) Dr. Deville-Rose could help with that. As of now, he and Randy have just been introducing him to new things, especially foods. Cody whined and shook his head no. “No Papa, I want apples.” “I promise you’ll like this kiddo,” Roman replied, pulling out a mango from the fridge and slicing it. “And if you don’t, I’ll give you your apples, how’s that sound?” Cody was still pouting, but nodded anyway, opening his mouth when his Papa offered him a slice. Roman watched as Cody’s eyes got wide, laughing when he reached for another slice. “Atta kid, you want some more?”

  
Dean still wasn’t happy about visiting Dr. Copeland, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t talk to him. The catch was, he just wasn’t going to talk about himself. “Dr. Copeland, I need some help with something,” he said nervously. Adam raised his eyebrows. He wasn’t expecting Dean to talk to him today. “What do you need help with?” “You have to promise not to tell, okay?” Dean stressed, wiping his hands on his shirt. Dr. Copeland raised his right hand. “Alright, you have my word.” “Well, um,” the ten-year-old started. “I won’t tell you what Seth told me, but um…there was this lady that was supposed to adopt him first, but she did…some really bad things to him. And…And she’s away in jail but he’s still scared of her and…I don’t know what to do. He said he would tell Dad and Papa when he was ready, but I think they really really need to know like…now. But I promised not to tell. What should I do?” Adam sat back in his seat. “I think…you should keep your promise. Seth trusts you, right? And you trust Seth?” Dean nodded quickly. “Of course! We’re brothers. We have to trust each other.” “Good, keep it that way. You don’t tell his secret; he’ll tell your Dads when he’s ready. Don’t push him either, because then he might come distant. What do you two like to do together?” Dean tapped his chin. “Um… we like to play video games together. And play baseball, football and soccer.” Dr. Copeland hummed softly. “Don’t change any of that. If he sees you’re acting different because of what he told you, he’s never going to tell because he’ll think Dad and Papa will act the same way. Do not change how you act around him. He’ll tell them eventually, I promise.” Dean slumped down on the couch and sighed softly. _Maybe Dr. Copeland isn’t so bad._

  
“Papa,” Cody whined, rubbing his eyes with his fists. “I know bubba,” Roman cooed quietly. “I just have to clean up this mess really quick and then we can go upstairs and take a nap.” Cody waited patiently as Roman cleaned up the kitchen. A couple minutes later, he was lifted into the Samoan man’s arms. “Wanna snuggle with you Papa,” Cody mumbled softly as he was carried upstairs. Roman smiled “Okay bubba, we’ll take a nap in me and Daddy’s room. Wanna go get Ms. B and Kenzie first?” “Yes please.”

  
_Well this is weird._

  
Seth hadn’t been the most talkative last appointment, but he _did_ talk. But now, he’s been quiet. He did ask to play with the box of Legos Adam had in his office but hasn’t said anything since. Adam sat at the coffee table across from him. “You know, last appointment, Dean was the one who didn’t want to talk to me, but this time, it’s you,” he joked gently. Seth glanced at him, but simply went back to building his structure. “That’s okay though, I’ll just ask you some yes and no questions, is that okay?” Seth nodded. Dr. Copeland first started off with simple questions like, “Do you like cookies?” Or, “Do you like to listen to music?” But after a while, he decided to push a like further. “Have you had any nightmares since the last time you were here?” Seth seemed to hesitate here, Adam noted, his frown deepening. Then slowly, he nodded yes. “Do you think you can tell me how many?” Seth swallowed hard and held up two fingers. Adam then got up and grabbed and piece of paper and a pen, handing them over to the boy. “Do you think you can write or draw what they were about?” Seth’s response was slow, but soon, he pushed the Legos aside and grabbed the items from Adam’s hands. Internally, he was panicking. _No one can know. Not yet. Not yet._ He didn’t want to draw her either; seeing her in his dreams was already enough. _Thinking_ about her was enough. But he built up the courage anyway. Blinking back his tears, he scribbled one word on the paper and held it up for Dr. Copeland to see:

**HER**

  
As tired as Cody was, he just couldn’t sleep. And it’s not like he isn’t trying either. He’s been snuggling with his Papa for nearly 30 minutes and nothing. “Papa,” he whimpered softly. Roman pulled him close and kissed his head. “S’okay bubba. I’m not leaving.” “Wanna sleep,” Cody huffed out, squeezing his eyes shut. Roman rubbed his hand up and down his back. “I think you’re just excited about what comes after your nap.” Cody sneered. “Not shopping.” Roman chuckled softly. “Not that part kiddo, playing with Bayley, remember? You told me that you’re excited to play superheroes with Bayley. I think you just miss her.” Cody hummed and shook his head. “No, I don’t miss Bayley. She’s here.” Roman frowned, slightly amused. “She’s not home yet. We still have a little bit before they get back.” Cody huffed and sat up. “No Papa, she’s here! See?’ Cody help up his plush panda, but Roman still wasn’t getting it. “That’s Ms. B, Cody.” The little boy nodded firmly. It took a minute, but then it hit him: brushing Cody’s hair back from his forehead, he smiled. “Does the B stand for Bayley?” Cody smiled brightly and nodded. “Uh huh!” “And what about Kenzie? Where did that name come from?” “Is Sissy’s name. My baby sissy’s name.” Roman froze, staring at Cody for a second before pulling him into a hug. “You named you’re your plushies after your sisters?” Cody nodded and hugged him back. “I really, really love them Papa.” Roman kissed his cheek. “And they really, really love you too, Cody.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cody is a sweet boi, isn't he? 😊
> 
> Anyways, this next chapter is when he gets a little rocky, specifically between Seth and Dean. 
> 
> Brothers always trust each other, right? 🤪
> 
> Also, if you’re wondering what the date is in this chapter, it’s August 13, 2018


	14. Trust

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My job is officially closed for several weeks so now I'll REALLY be stuck at home. This decade SUCKS 
> 
> Anyways, updates will be frequent because I don't have shit else to do lol

By Wednesday, Seth was back to his normal, talkative self, much to his Dads’ relief. He still has yet to say what was bothering him, but they knew he would tell them whenever he was ready. Now, after a day of jumping on the trampoline and playing with the sprinkler, the kids were showered and off to a nearby pizza restaurant. “Dada, is Papa going to eat with us?” Cody mumbled, peering out at the other cars. “Yep. He’s already there, waiting for us.” “Yay,” the little boy whispered, pulling Mrs. B and Kenzie close to his face. Arriving at the restaurant, Bayley hopped out of the car once she saw Roman, running into his arms. “Hi Papa!” Roman grinned and squeezed her tight, kissing her cheek. “Hello to you too baby girl.” “Did you have a good day today?” She asked, wrapping her arms around his neck so he doesn’t put her down. Roman chuckled at that. “It was okay, but it’s better now that I’m here with my family.” “Sap,” Randy snickered, kissing his husband’s lips; all the kids groaned in disgust. “It’s called being domesticated,” Roman laughed, giving the boys a small hug before guiding the family inside. They were quickly seated, and drinks were ordered. “Pa…Roman, can we um…can we get dessert?” Dean asked, blushing at his slip-up. Roman smiled gently. “If you want to.” “Can we have cake?!” Cody asked, squirming in his seat. Bayley gasped, whipping her head to look at her Dads. “Can we please? The chocolate one!” Randy laughed. “Okay, you two can share some cake.” Cody and Bayley high fived. “What about you guys?” Roman asked, turning to his two oldest boys. Seth and Dean looked through their menu for a minute before deciding to share an ice cream sundae. After food was ordered, Randy and Roman gave each other a look, then turned to their kids. “Hey, we want to talk about something with you guys,” Randy said. All four kids stopped talking. “Is it bad?” Seth whispered, causing Roman to cringe slightly. “Uh…maybe? Depends on how you take the news.” _Specifically, Cody._ The kids sat up straighter after hearing that. Randy awkwardly cleared his throat. “Remember last Sunday when I had dinner with my Mom and Dad?” The kids nodded. “Well, on Friday, I’m going to have dinner with them again. Except this time, Papa is going with me.” Bayley frowned. “We don’t get to come?” Randy sighed softly. “Not this time. It’s going to be a while before you get to meet them.” “Why? They’re our grandparents,” Seth said, tilting his head in confusion. “We know,” Roman responded. “But, remember how we told you guys what being gay means? And that not everyone accepts us?” “Yeah, but love is love and it doesn’t matter,” Dean stated matter-of-factly. Randy smiled. “Exactly. Well, awhile a go, when I told my parents I was gay, they kicked me out and never wanted to see me again.” Cody’s eyes widened. “And now, after twelve years, they finally wanted to apologize to me, and to Papa, because they weren’t very nice to him either.” Cody eyes filled with tears. “No,” he murmured softly. “N-no. Don’t go away.” “We’ll just be gone for a couple hours bubba,” Roman said softly. “You’re going to have a sleepover Sami; Bayley will be with Sasha and Dean and Seth will be with Finn. We’ll see you the next day.” “Enzo?” Cody sobbed quietly. “Wanna stay with Enzo please. He’s Sasha’s brother. Wanna be with Bayley.” Randy reached over and rubbed his hands. “Sorry kiddo, Mr. Cassidy is taking Enzo to his dance competition several hours away and won’t be home for the weekend.” Cody only sobbed harder, burying his face in his plush toys. Randy and Roman both sighed. They both knew that Cody was going to take it hard; they had hoped that spending time with one of his best friends would soften the blow a little. _Apparently not._ Bayley leaned over and gave Cody a hug. “It’s okay, it’ll just be for one night,” she reassured. “We’ll see them the next day when they pick us up!” “Wanna be with you,” he responded sadly. “Or Sethie and Deanie.” Randy and Roman were completely helpless at this point, not really knowing what to say. “Um, what if Sami and Cody have a sleepover with us and Finn?” Seth suggested. “Like, we have it at Finn’s house or something.” “Yeah!” Dean piped up. “That way, Cody can still be with us!” Roman smiled gently. “We’ll have to talk to Finn’s Dad about that, but it doesn’t sound like a bad idea.” “Hear that Cody?” Bayley said, shaking her younger brother a little. “If Finn’s Daddy says yes, you get to be with Seth and Dean!” Cody managed a tiny smiled, but it dropped almost instantly, his eyes once again filling with tears. Randy pinched the bridge of his nose. _Friday is going to be a disaster._

  
**Later that night**

  
“Night boys,” Roman said, sending his oldest sons a smile before shutting their door. Seth turned over and groaned softly, shutting his eyes. He was exhausted. Jumping on the trampoline and chasing his sibling around a sprinkler was a lot of work. Just as he was about to fall asleep, Dean called his name from the other side of their room. “What?” he whined. “Wanna know what I talked to Dr. Copeland about on Monday?” Seth sighed. “Yes, whatever. But make it fast please, I’m sleepy.” Dean sat up and turned his lamp on. “Okay, so, I told Dr. Copeland about your secret, and-” “You what?” Seth hissed, quickly sitting up in his bed. Dean looked at him, startled. “I didn’t tell him what happened, just that she did really bad things to you. I didn’t tell him what she really did.” “But you still told! Why did you even say anything?” Dean frowned. “Because I want to help you.” “I don’t need your help, Dean.” Seth spat, glaring at his brother. “I said I would tell when I was ready.” “But I didn’t tell him what she did to you!” Dean quickly defended. “But you still told I have a secret!” Seth stressed, his hands shaking. “You promised not to tell. Which means you can’t mention it either!” Dean swallowed hard, his shoulders slumping. “I-I’m sorry. I didn’t know.” “Whatever,” Seth said coldly, turning over and pulling his comforter over his head. “Just leave me alone.” It was silent for a couple moments. “Seth?” Dean called out softly. He was ignored. “Seth? Seth please, I’m sorry,” he whimpered. “I-I didn’t mean to, I swear.” The other ten-year-old still ignored him, causing Dean to swallow hard. “Seth, I’m really, really, sorry. I didn’t mean to say anything, I just wanted to help you feel better.” Seth pulled the comforter off his upper body and glared at him, tears slowly trailing down his cheeks. “You promised Dean, I trusted you.” Dean’s shoulders started to shake. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, but Seth pulled the blanket back over his head. Dean bit his lip hard and turned off his lamp, laying back down on his bed. He pulled his pillow over his head and started to cry softly.

_What have I done?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter, we'll see Dean's second therapy appointment and some of Bayley's struggles :)
> 
> Also, to clarify, Randy and Roman have already arranged Cody's appointments; he'll be having them at home on Monday afternoons while the other kids are at theirs. Forgot to mention that in the last couple chapters.


	15. A Knight in Shining...Just kidding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quarantine Day 2: I've completed a puzzle, wrote this chapter, and watch Big Time Rush on Hulu. Today was not a productive day lol

Curled up on the bean bag chair with his knees pulled up to his chest sat Dean; peering out the window and attempting (but failing) to ignore Dr. Copeland as he asked him questions. “How’s it been going with Seth?” Adam asked, trying to meet the boy’s eyes. “Did you use that advice I gave you?” Dean tensed but didn’t answer, causing the therapist to frown slightly. It was quiet for a couple moments. “What do you want to talk about today, Dean?” “Nothing,” the ten-year-old mumbled, resting his cheek on knees. “I really, really, messed up with Seth, so I don’t want to talk about anything today.” “How about we compromise?” Dr, Copeland suggested. “You tell me how you messed up with Seth, and that’ll be it for today; I won’t ask anymore questions. We can just sit and play a game, or you can leave early.” Dean didn’t answer for a while, but he eventually nodded, shifting his eyes to Adam. “I told him about what you told me to do. Only, I didn’t get to finish because he got mad at me.” “Why’d he get mad at you? “Because…because, I told you about his secret. I didn’t tell what she really did, but I still mentioned it; I didn’t know I wasn’t allowed to do that.” Dean’s eyes filled with tears. “A-And now he doesn’t trust me anymore.” He sniffled. “We’re brothers, we’re supposed to trust each other. But now he doesn’t. I don’t think we’re brothers anymore.” He bit his lip hard. “I ruined everything.” “Dean,” Dr. Copeland said softly. “That’s not true. You didn’t ruin anything. You’re still brothers.” “Not really,” Dean deadpanned. “We don’t have the same last name because I’m not adopted.” “Have Randy and Roman talked to you about adoption?” Dean placed his chin on his knees. “No. I don’t think they want to adopt me anyway.” “Why do you think that?” The ten-year-old swallowed hard, then stood up, shoving his shaky hands into his pockets. “I don’t want to talk anymore. Can I go now?” Adam reluctantly agreed and stood up, opening the door for him. In the waiting room sat the whole family, minus Roman as he had work. Catching Randy’s eyes, he ushered him over. “What’s up?” He asked once he was close to the doctor. “Is Dean okay? He and Seth seemed really upset this morning.” Dr. Copeland sighed softly. “Remember how I told you on Monday about something that Seth told him; he promised him not to say anything?” Randy nodded. “Well…I think those two had a fight yesterday. Seth found out Dean told, minus the details, and he’s pretty angry about it.” Randy placed his hand on his forehead. “And I’m guessing that Seth doesn’t trust him anymore?” “Right on the money,” Adam hummed. “Dean told me brothers are supposed to trust each other, but since Seth doesn’t now, he doesn’t think they’re brothers anymore.” “W-what?” Randy sputtered. “How can he think that?” Adam cringed. “Well…Dean doesn’t know that you and Roman plan on adopting him and Cody, and in turn, thinks that he’s not part of this family.” “What the…” Randy groaned. “Shit. We want it to be a surprise, ya know? That’s why we haven’t told them yet.” “I understand that,” Adam said. “That’s what my wife and I did with our son, but Dean’s mind is fragile, after all the crap he’s been through. I’m not telling you what to do, but I think you two need to sit those boys down and tell them about the adoption.” Randy squeezed the bridge of his nose and nodded. “Yeah...yeah, okay. I’ll talk to Roman about that tonight.” He then sighed softly and shook Adam’s hand. “Thank you, for telling me.” The therapist chuckled gently. “That’s my job, man.”

  
Arriving home, Dean made a beeline for his bedroom downstairs and Seth plopped himself down on the living room couch, switching on the tv; Cody and Bayley followed Seth. Randy rubbed the back of his neck trudged to the kitchen, deciding to make the kids some mac and cheese for lunch. Getting out the ingredients, he started cooking, but his mind was elsewhere. _What is Seth hiding? No, no, Seth is a sweetheart, he’s not hiding something, there’s just something he hasn’t told us yet because he’s…scared, right? Yeah, he’s scared to tell us. But why? He’s always comes to us when something is bothering him, what’s so different about this? And Dean? God, I hope those two make up; they’re brothers! Same last name of not, they are brothers. Speaking of last names, I need to text Roman about Dean’s appointment_. Turning around, Randy let out a shriek at seeing Bayley standing right behind him. “Shit!” Bayley giggled. “Bad word Daddy.” Taking the deep breath, Randy managed a small smile. “Sorry, you scared me.” She giggled again. “Sorry!” ‘That’s okay,” Randy chucked. “Did you need something?” “Yeah!” Bayley grinned. “Will you play princesses with me? Sethie and Cody don’t want to play and Deanie didn’t answer when I asked.” Randy ruffled her hair and smiled. “Of course, baby girl, but after lunch, alright?” “Okay!” Bayley cheered. “You have to play the knight, so wear gray Daddy!” Randy laughed as he watched her run upstairs. Shaking his head slightly, he went back to preparing lunch, his oldest sons still on his mind. 

  
Randy had called Dean up for lunch about ten times, so he decided to just take his plate downstairs to his room. He knocked on the door then pushed inside. “Dean?” Said boy was sitting on the floor against his bed, reading a book. “Hi Randy,” he mumbled, turning a page. “Hey champ, I called you up for lunch, but you never came, so I just bought your plate down to you.” Randy said, sitting down next to him. “I’m not hungry.” “Well that’s not true. You love to eat.” Dean didn’t respond, so Randy set the plate on the bed and wrapped his arm around his shoulders. “What’s up kiddo? You’re not acting like your normal self today.” Dean lowered his book and bit his lip.” “Seth is mad at me. I told Dr. Copeland something I wasn’t supposed to and now he doesn’t trust me.” “I’m sure that after he calms down a little, he’ll come talk to you,” Randy said softly. “This is Seth we’re talking about. He’s the most forgiving kid I know. Did you apologize?” “Like, ten times,” Dean sighed. “But he just ignored me.” Randy leaned over the kissed the top of his hair, rubbing his shoulder gently. “He’ll come to you eventually, I promise. He’s your brother, he can’t stay mad at you forever.” Dean didn’t respond to that, deciding to reach back and grab the plate of mac and cheese instead. “Do you have to work on the computer today?” He asked after a couple bites. “Eventually. Why? What’s up?” “Can you,” Dean looked away nervously. “Can you read a couple chapters to me? If you’re not busy?” Randy smiled. “Of course, kiddo.”

  
Bayley waited ten minutes after she finished lunch for Randy to come back up, but she was just too excited! She rushed upstairs to put on her purple princess dress then ran downstairs to the basement. “Daddy! I’m ready!” she called but stopped dead in her tracks once she got to the doorway of Seth and Dean’s room. Randy was sitting on the bed with Dean cuddled up to him, book in hand. “Hey sweetheart,” he said softly. “I’m ready to play princesses Daddy. Look! I’m already dressed!” Bayley said, twirling around. Randy whispered something in Dean’s ear then got up, kneeling in front of Bayley. “Baby girl, there’s been a change of plans.” Bayley’s shoulders slumped. She already knew what was coming. “Um, well you see, Dean isn’t really feeling well up here,” he pointed to his head. “So, I’m reading to him until he feels a bit better.” “What about after?” Bayley said hopefully, a frown still present on her face. Randy sighed. “I have to work on the computer today sweetheart. I’m sorry.” Bayley squeezed her hands into fists behind her back and shrugged. “It’s okay. Deanie is sad, I understand Daddy.” “Thanks baby girl,” Randy said, kissing her cheeks. “I’ll make it up to you, okay?” _You and Papa always say that._ “Okay.” Bayley dejectedly walked all the way back upstairs to her room. Only then, did she let the tears fall. “It’s not fair,” she said to herself tearfully. “It’s not fair.” She changed back into her normal clothes, went to her art closet and started pulling out some paints. “They always do this,” she mumbled, angrily wiping her tears away. “They like being with Seth and Dean and Cody more than me.” She dug her nails into the palm of her hand. “Daddy and Papa love them more than me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now that all the kids' problems are out in the open, can you imagine how horrible Friday is going to be? ;) Stayed tuned for tomorrow.
> 
> Anyways, let me know what you think!


	16. Pent Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This didn't really turn out the way I wanted it but eh. Enjoy!

Roman eyed the kids weirdly as they all sat silently eating their breakfast. They have been…off since he got home from work yesterday evening. Seth, Dean and Bayley were quiet and distant, while Cody was grumpier than usually. Randy had told him about Seth and Dean’s fight, but he didn’t understand Cody and Bayley’s moods. “Kids,” he said quietly, getting their attention. “Dad and I talked yesterday, and there’s been a change in plans with tonight.” Bayley looked around and frowned. “Is Daddy going to tell us too?” Roman sighed. _Curse Randy for having to go shopping this early in the morning._ “No, he’s at the grocery store; it’s just me.” It was silent for a couple moments. “So, we talked last night, and we realize that it might be easier if you guys just…stay here,” Roman cringed before continuing. “That way, you guys won’t be so far away from us.” Seth’s shoulders slumped slightly. “So…we won’t be having a sleepover with our friends?” Roman gave him a sad smile. “Sorry kiddo.” Dean shook his head. “But why?” “Because,” Bayley huffed. “Cody’s a baby.” Cody dropped his fork in shocked. “I-I’m not! I’m not a baby!” “You are too!” Bayley sneered back. “We can’t even have fun with our friends because you’re too scared to leave Daddy and Papa. That makes you a baby!” “Bayley-” “I’m not,” the little boy whimpered, looking at Roman. “Papa, I’m not a baby. I’m a big boy.” Bayley rolled her eyes and hopped off her chair. “You cry like a baby too.” “Bayley!’ Roman said sternly, rounding the island to block her from leaving. “Apologize, right now.” Bayley crossed her arms and glared at the floor. “Bayley.” “Why? We know it’s true!” She said, looking back at her older brothers to support her; they instantly looked away, focusing back on their breakfast. Bayley rolled her eyes then glared at Cody. “We can never do anything fun because you always act like a baby.” “Okay, let’s go.” Roman grabbed her elbow and pulled her upstairs to her room, sitting her on her bed.” “Bayley, I am very disappointed in you,” Roman started. “What you said about Cody is not true, you know that.” The little girl clenched her jaw as her eyes became glassy, she refusing to look up at her Papa. “I understand that you’re upset about not having a sleepover but taking it out on your little brother like that wasn’t nice. Remember what we talked about? About separation anxiety?” Bayley sniffled and nodded. “Then you would know that Cody isn’t acting like a ‘baby,’ he’s genuinely scared about me and Daddy being away at the same time.” Roman sighed and walked to the door. “I want you to sit in here for ten minutes and think about what you did. That means sit; no art, no nothing. When time is up, then we’ll talk.” Roman left and Bayley rolled onto her stomach, burying her face into her pillow. She didn’t feel bad about what she said, they’ve had to cancel a lot of fun things this summer because ‘Cody’s having a bad day,’ or, ‘Cody doesn’t want to do that.’ It wasn’t fair! Bayley eventually rolled onto her side and groaned. “Cody is a baby,” she mumbled to herself. “I’ll say sorry, but he’s still a baby.”

  
Ten minutes later, after calming down Cody and distracting him with a puzzle, Roman made his way upstairs to his daughter’s room, rubbing his forehead. He was still trying to comprehend what has just happened. Bayley…sweet Bayley, made her younger brother cry and lowered his already fragile self-esteem. It just didn’t make any sense. Entering her room, Bayley has since migrated to the floor, laying on her stomach and looking at nothing. “Bayley,” he said, clearing his throat. She lifted her head then sat up, sitting back on her bed; he sat down next to her. “Do you understand why I made you sit up here?” “Because I called Cody a baby, but it’s not true because he has separation anxiety,” Bayley responded, her voice monotoned. Roman frowned at that. “Um…yeah. And you understand why you have to apologize to him?” “Yes,” she answered, a bit more forcibly. Roman clenched his jaw. “Bayley,” he said fervently. “What?” she huffed. “I said I get it. I’ll go say I’m sorry.” He grabbed her arm before she could slide off the bed. “In this house, you don’t apologize unless you mean it, you know that.” “I do!” Bayley protested. Roman rolled his eyes and stood up. “You don’t. And now you’re lying to me.” “I…” Whatever else Bayley was going to say suddenly died off. Papa was angry. He’s never been this angry with her before. “You’re grounded for the rest of the weekend. No painting, no art, no tv, no toys, and no playing outside. On Monday, we’ll talk again, since you’re not sorry now.” “Papa-” “No Bayley,” Roman gave her a stern look. “I gave you a chance to think about what you said to Cody and why it was wrong. But you don’t feel bad, at all. Now, come downstairs and finish eating, then you’re coming right back up here, understand?” Bayley looked at him in disbelief, then nodded. _This isn’t fair._

  
“We should just cancel,” Randy said, leaning back on the couch. Roman had told him what went down earlier that morning while he was at the grocery store and he agreed with what his husband did. Bayley knows words can hurt others, and not only had she said them, but then, still had an attitude when all she had to do with giving her brother a sincere apology. It wasn’t like her. He understood that she’s upset about the sleepover, but it still didn’t give her the right to shit-talk her brother like that. “We should make this on Sunday, instead of today, and like our plan, have them come over instead.” “Yeah,” Roman sighed, rubbing his temples. “Can you please tell your parents that? This morning was crazy, and I still have a headache.” “Of course,” Randy said kissing his cheek. “You lay down or something. I’ll tell my Mom the change of plans and deal with the kids until you feel better.” “Thanks babe.” Roman went upstairs and slowed down once he got to Bayley’s room. The door was cracked. He peered in and sighed softly. He told her the only thing she could do during her grounding was read. That’s why she’s been doing for hours now. He kind of felt bad, but not bad enough to lift her punishment. She called Cody a baby, made him cry, then lied to his face about feeling sorry about it. She needed to learned. Eventually, he made his way to his bedroom and face planted on the bed moaning softly. _God, my head hurts so bad. Maybe a nice nap will help._

  
Seth and Dean weren’t exactly on speaking terms yet, but they were being civil. So, when they were picked to choose the movie for movie night after dinner, they agreed on ‘Despicable me,’ but didn’t say anything to each other after that. “It’s a start,” Randy thought as he sat on the couch next to Cody. Bayley eventually wondered in, but before she could even sit down, Roman called her back to the kitchen. She sighed and went back, watching as he put the dishes in the dish washer. “Yes Papa?” “You’re grounded, Bayley.” He stated, turning to look at her. She tilted her head in confusion, causing him to sigh. “I said no tv, remember? Which means no movie.” All the color drained from Bayley’s face as she looked at him in disbelief. “W-what?” she sputtered. “But Papa!” “No buts Bayley.” “But…but it’s family movie night,” she stressed, her eyes filling with tears. “And I’m sorry that you’ll be missing it,” he said sincerely. “But you’re grounded, those are the rules.” Bayley wrapped her arms around herself and quickly walked upstairs so her Papa couldn’t see her cry. She shut her door, flopped on her bed and sobbed into her pillow. This only confirmed her suspicions; something she had been thinking about since school was released for the summer.

  
_They don’t care about me anymore._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Friday was still disastrous, but not too bad, yeah?
> 
> In case you didn't catch it, dinner has been rescheduled to Sunday. Because of Cody's separation anxiety, Bob and Elaine will be coming to their house for dinner. Now I know Randy and Roman said that they don't want them meeting the kids yet, but this makes more sense instead of forcing Cody to be away from them for a whole night.
> 
> Here is a spoiler though: Sunday is going to be bad, and it will be the kids' faults :)


	17. Calm Before Meeting the Grandparents

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I have more hits on this story than the first one. 
> 
> What even, lol

  
Bayley’s eyes cracked open when she felt her bed dip. Glancing at her clock, it read, 2:52 a.m. She yawned and turned over, coming face-to-face with her younger brother. “Um…hi,” she whispered. “What are you doing here?” Cody tilted his head slightly and pulled Kenzie close to his chest. “Do you…do you really think I’m a baby?” _Yes_. “No. I shouldn’t have said that,” Bayley answered, sitting up and turning on her lamp. Cody still looked uncertain. “Are you…sure? Cause I do cry like a baby. And-And I always need Dada or Papa with me.” Cody sighed gently. “I think I am a baby.” Bayley swallowed hard. Okay, so she didn’t mean to make Cody feel bad about himself. Now she really felt guilty. “I…I’m sorry Cody. You’re not a baby, I promise. I was just mad and said some really mean things. I didn’t mean it.” The little boy shrugged, but still didn’t look her in the eye. “S’okay.” His tone said otherwise, and that made Bayley feel like utter crap. “Wanna sleep in here?” She asked gently. Cody chewed his lip and nodded. “Yes please.” A couple moments later, they were snuggled up in bed, the lamp off. Bayley smiled and ruffled Cody’s hair. “Love you Cody.” The little boy yawned and closed his eyes. “Love you too Bayley.

Randy was awake for about ten minutes before he decided to get up. It was kind of funny, actually. He was waiting for his morning snuggles with Cody, but the kid never showed up. He shook his head and chuckled softly. He’s probably sleeping in. Passing Bayley’s room, he stopped and peeked inside, smiling softly. _Oh, that’s where he is_. He quietly shut the door and went downstairs. “At least they made up,” he thought, walking toward the kitchen. He stopped when he passed the living room, spotting Seth sitting on the floor eating a bowl of cheerios. He smirked and leaned against the wall. “Hey kiddo.” Seth jumped, whipping his head around. “D-Dad!” he shrieked, flushing slightly. “It’s not what it looks like!” “Calm down Seth,” Randy chuckled. “I’m not mad. Just make sure you don’t make too much of a mess. But next time you want to eat in the living room, you need to ask.” Seth gave him a nervous smile and nodded. “Have you seen Roman?” Randy asked. Seth turned back to the tv. “Papa had to go pick up something from work. But he said when he comes back, we have to go shopping again,” he sighed. Randy chuckled. “We do. We got socks, shirts and underwear last time, now we have to get shirts and shoes.” The ten-year-old groaned. “I don’t like shopping. Can’t we just do it on Amazon? With your magic money card?” Randy busted out laughing, causing Seth and look at him confused. “What? What’s funny?” Randy wiped his eyes, still laughing. “Nothing kiddo.” Seth gave him one last glance then shrugged, turning back to his Saturday morning cartoons. Randy went to the kitchen and looked through the fridge. He eventually decided on some strawberries. He grabbed the cartoon and shut the door, only to let out a tiny squeak at seeing Dean standing there. “Jesus,” he breathed out. “You and Bayley really know how to sneak up on people.” Dean bit his lip and smiled softly. “Sorry.” “It’s okay. Good morning.” Randy kissed his head as he maneuvered around him. Dean peered up at him and licked his lips. “Can I have some strawberries too?” “Of course, go get some bowls.” The boy did a little happy dance and quickly got two bowls, walking back over to Randy. After he was served his fruit, he climbed up on a chair and began to eat. “Aren’t you going to go sit with Seth?” Randy asked, biting into a strawberry. Instantly, Randy knew that was a bad question. Dean’s shoulder slumped. “We still uh…we still haven’t made up yet.” “He’s still not talking to you?” “Not really,” Dean sighed. “Do you want me to talk to him for you?” “It’s okay.” Dean bit into another strawberry. “He’ll talk to me a little, but he won’t play with me.” “Well, if you need me to talk to him, just ask, alright?” Dean hummed and nodded. “Okay.”

  
Bayley sighed as she climbed out the car. She wasn’t really excited to go shopping again, even though she was the first time. Her Papa has been trying to talk to her all morning, but she was ignoring him. She was still upset. It was family movie night last night, and he didn’t let her watch with them. It hurt. Therefore, she was ignoring him today. She held her Daddy’s hand as they walked into the first store of the day: Old Navy. They shopped here last time, but Bayley wasn’t really feeling it today. “Let’s split up,” Randy told Roman. “I’ll take Bayley and you take the boys.” Roman agreed, sending his daughter a sad smile before guiding the boys to their section. “Come on Princess,” Randy said, holding out his hand. “Let’s go pick out some shirts.”

  
After spending an hour and a half at Old Navy, they family ended up at Famous Footwear for shoes. By that time, Seth was bored; bored as in, there’s only so many things he can talk about with Cody before it wasn’t interesting anymore.' I could talk to Dean', he thought, then shook his head. _No! He told after he promised he wouldn’t!_ “But he didn’t mean to,” he mumbled to himself, sighing softly. He understood that Dean really didn’t mean to say anything; he was just being a good brother and trying to find ways to help him. But now that someone knew, the pressure to tell what she did to him was suffocating. He rubbed his forehead and sighed again, getting off from his seat where he was holding his new shoes and sitting next to Dean. “Hey,” he said softly. Dean’s breath hitched, turning to look at his brother. “Um…hi.” “I…” Seth bit his lip. “I’m sorry about being all mad and ignoring you. We’re brothers. I shouldn’t have done that.” Dean suddenly sat up, sending Seth a goofy grin. “Does this mean we can play again?” Seth gave Dean and smile back. “Yeah.” Dean wiggled a little in his chair, then wrapped his arm around Seth’s shoulders. “I really am sorry.” Seth smiled. “I know. You’ve told me so many times, but I was being an asshole.” Cody gasped and turned around. “Bad word,” he whispered, pointing at the two of them before interrupting into a fit of giggles; Dean and Seth eventually joined in too. When Roman came back over with some shoes in Cody’s size, he gave them a confused look. “What’s so funny?” That only made the boys laugh harder. Roman may have been confused, but once the boys calmed down, he noticed one thing:

  
_Seth and Dean finally made up._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nothing really interesting happened other than Seth and Dean making up
> 
> Also, Bayley :( 
> 
> Next chapter is going to be wild, so stay tuned ;)


	18. The Plan

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quarantine has me bored af. What are you guys doing to stay busy?

That next afternoon started off horrible.

  
Randy shouldn’t have been surprised, considering the kids woke up kinda cranky, really. Bayley was still pissed off at Roman, (And rightfully so; Randy told him it was wrong not to let her watch the movie on _family_ movie night) Cody woke up from a nightmare and therefore, was beyond exhausted and grumpy, and Dean and Seth stayed up late playing Mario Cart tournaments, even though they were supposed to be in bed by 10 p.m. Randy was kinda panicking, to say the least. And Roman wasn’t helping; telling him to calm down and shit. It was annoying. “Cody!” Randy said sternly, holding up a nice, baby blue button-down shirt. “Come on, just put this on.” “No!” The little boy cried out, stomping his foot. “I wanna wear jammies for dinner!” The older man sighed harshly. “This is a nice dinner, so you have to wear this nice shirt.” “I don’t want to!” Cody yelled back, rubbing his eyes in exhaustion. “I don’t like it.” Randy huffed softly and turned to his closet. “Okay, I’ll give you and option,” he stated, pulling out a navy-blue collar shirt covered with tiny, white sharks. “Which one?” He said impatiently, holding them up for the boy to see. Cody looked at him options, then crumbled to the floor, wailing at the top of his lungs. Randy was done. “Jesus fucking Christ,” he grumbled, then stormed out the room, running into Roman. “Hey...hey. What’s wrong?” The Samoan man asked gently, gripping his husband’s shoulders to stop him from moving. “Cody!” Randy said helplessly, his anger still present. “He didn’t like the original shirt, so I picked out another one and told him to choose. But then he lost his shit. So, I left before I lost my shit too.” He pinched the bridge of his nose. “We’ve been arguing over this for twenty minutes. It’s just a damn shirt! I don’t understand why it’s such a problem.” Roman smiled softly and rubbed his shoulders. “He’s just overly tired. I’ll go talk to him, okay?” Randy sighed and nodded, deciding to go check on Bayley; she’s the simple child, and he rather deal with her than Cody at the moment. He checked her room, then down the hall to the bathroom, smiling when he saw her in there brushing her hair. “Hi Daddy,” she said, smiling at him through the mirror. She was wearing a gray and white striped jumpsuit with white socks. In other words, she looked absolutely adorable. Randy smiled back and kissed the top of her head. “You look beautiful, Princess.” Bayley blushed, then handed the brush to him. “Thank you. Will you brush my hair please?” “Of course,” Randy answered, taking the brush from her and running it through her hair. “Is there any specific style you want?” “No thank you, just that,” she answered, pointing to the metal cat ears headband with fake, white roses sitting on the counter. Randy smiled and finished brushing her hair, placing the headband over her head. “You look adorable sweetheart,” he told her, leaning down and kissing her cheek. Bayley smiled and bounced a little. “Thank you, Daddy. Can I go read until your Mommy and Daddy get here?” “How about,” Randy started, kneeling down to her height. “I let you off your grounding early?” Bayley frowned. “But I still have until tomorrow. And Papa grounded me, shouldn’t he say when I finish?” “Well, Papa was mean and didn’t let you watch the movie with us on Friday night, and I bet that hurt your feelings huh?” Bayley bit her lip and nodded. “Exactly. So, you’re officially ungrounded.” Bayley grinned and jumped in place. “So, I can do art?” “Yes, but! No painting until tomorrow, alright? I don’t want you to get paint on your jumpsuit.” Bayley eagerly nodded, gave Randy and tight hug, then ran to her room, squealing in delight. Randy chuckled softly and stood up, sighing softly. He loved his kids equally, but Bayley was way more behaved than the other three, and her sweet demeanor always calmed him down when he was worked up. Slipping out of the bathroom, he was just about to go downstairs when Roman called him. “Did you get the little monster dressed?” Randy joked, causing Roman to crack a smile. “I’m letting him nap first.” “W-what? We don’t have time!” “Relax,” Roman soothed. “We have an hour before your parents are due to arrive. I’ll wake him up in about 30 minutes. That’ll be enough time to get him dressed and do his hair.” Randy sighed and nodded. “You’re right. By the way, I ungrounded Bayley early.” Roman gave him a disapproving look, but Randy only smirked back. “You hurt her feelings not allowing hurt to watch the movie with us, so she deserves this. Plus, Cody told us she apologized so I think she learned her lesson.” Roman could only frown at that. “Yeah…we’ve never had to really punish her before. She’s such a well-behaved kid that I thought I was doing the right thing.” “Yeah well, you should probably go apologize to her.” Roman scoffed. “Yeah, if she’ll talk to me.” “You don’t need her to talk to say sorry. Once she realizes you feel bad, she’ll stop holding that grudge over your head.” Randy leaned over and kissed his lips. “I’m going to go check on the food, and then Seth and Dean. You need to go talk to our daughter.”

  
Seth and Dean were dressed in matching gray collar shirts, but they have been arguing over small things all day today. Currently, their disagreement was about what to watch on tv. Dean snatched the remote from Seth and glared at him. “I want watch Adventure Time,” Seth rolled his eyes and snatched the remote back. “No one wants to watch that baby show. We’re going to watch The Simpsons.” Dean sneered. “You must be a baby too, since you also like Adventure Time.” Seth rolled his eyes. “I’ve grown out of it.” “We just watched it yesterday!” Seth was just about to change the cannel when the remote once again, disappeared from his hands. “Hey, give that back!” He yelled, basically tackling his brother onto the couch. Dean held him at arm’s length as he struggled to switch the channel. “We watched the Simpsons earlier! It’s my turn to choose!” Randy, having enough of their petty arguments for the day, walk out of the kitchen and plucked the remote out of Dean’s hand, switching the tv off. “Both of you, go get a book and sit here on the couches and read. Quietly. You’ve had enough screen time today.” Both boys grumbled and pouted as they went to their room to get a book. When they came back up, they were still sending glares to each other, but were otherwise quiet. Randy huffed and went back to the kitchen, setting the table and finishing up the cooking. He didn’t know why, but he could just feel that tonight was going to be horrendous. “Please,” he mumbled softly. “Let tonight go smoothly.”

  
By the time Elaine and Bob arrived, all the kids were fully dressed and sitting quietly in the living room. Cody wasn’t fully aware because he was still tired, but he was dressed at least; that had to count for something. So, when the doorbell rang, Randy sprung up and happily answered with Roman right behind him. “Hi Mom, hi Dad,” he greeted gently, sidestepping to let them in. They greeted him, and Roman too, smiles and all (and they didn’t look evil). “Dinner is really close to being ready,” Randy stated after he shut the door. “Roman can take you to meet the kids; I’ll call you when dinner is ready.” “That sounds lovely,” Bob stated, sending the Samoan man a smile. Roman smiled back and guided them into the living room. Walking into the living room, they were greeted to four wide-eyed kids. Elaine gasped softly and whispered, “They’re precious.” Roman beamed. He knew they were, even when they were bratty sometimes. He sat next to Cody and pulled him close, smiling softly up at Elaine and Bob. “This is Cody,” he started, pointing at each kid. “This is Bayley, that’s Dean, and that’s Seth.” All the kids waved and mumbled a quiet “Hi,” except for Cody. He was way too anxious at the moment and decided to press himself against Roman and hide his face rather than introduce himself. Bob and Elaine sat down on the love seat and smiled at the kids. “Hi,” Elaine said softly. “I’m your grandma, or Nona, if that’s what you want to call me. It’s so nice to finally meet you guys.” Bob also introduced himself and told the kids to call him Pops or Poppy. The grandparents talked to them for a full ten minutes about anything and everything; it really broke Dean and Bayley out of their shells because they started to enthusiastically talk about random subjects too. Seth though, was feeling a little uncertain. He didn’t know what, but something was off about Bob and Elaine. He just couldn’t put a finger on it. He was snapped out of his thoughts when Randy came in, wiping his hands on a dish towel. “Hey, dinner is ready. But before we go eat, can we talk?” He asked, pointing at Roman, Bob and Elaine. Roman already knew that he meant the apology segment of the evening, so he stood up with Randy’s parents and followed him into the kitchen.  
“Sorry,” Randy murmured once they were out of earshot. “By the time you leave, the kids will need to be put to bed and we won’t have time for this, so...” “Of course.” Bob said, turning to Roman expectantly. “First, we would like to say that we are sorry. We’re sorry for how we treated you when Randy came out to us, and we’re sorry for ignoring you two for twelve years. It took us so long to understand and I will never forgive myself.” “We’re also sorry for all those hurtful things we called you,” Elaine added, frowning slightly. “We understand if you don’t except this apology, but we really are sorry.” Roman was quiet for a little, trying to figure out what to say. “It’s okay,” he eventually mumbled out. “I forgive you, but I still don’t trust you. That’ll take some time.” Both parents nodded in understanding, the tension leaving their bodies. “We’ll do whatever it takes to gain your trust back,” Elaine said firmly. “Because we want to be in your life again, and our grandkids’ lives. We won’t let you down.”

  
Once the adults went into the kitchen, Seth quickly gathered his siblings into a huddle. “Something’s wrong with them,” he whispered, eyes wide. “I don’t know what it is, but something is off.” Cody frowned and sat up a little. “They’re going to be mean to Daddy and Papa again,” he said softly. “Nona was staring at me,” Bayley added, “Even when she was talking to Deanie, or Papa. She was staring.” Dean nodded. “I saw that too. It was scary. And Pops was smiling all weird.” He turned to Seth. “What are we going to do?” Seth smirked and leaned in close, whispering the plan. When he was done, the other three leaned back, staring at him in shock. “Will it work?” Bayley asked. “It’s gotta.” They jumped a little when Randy called them in for dinner. Seth looked at his siblings and nodded. “Operation Bad to the Bone is a go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lol, I love teasing ya'll :P
> 
> Next chapter is when this operation REALLY starts. Its going to be fun.


	19. Operation: Bad to the Bone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No update tomorrow :( I need to take a break from writing because my brain hurts from trying to string words together lol. But there will be a new chapter on Thursday!

So far, dinner was great, Randy thought. His parents were making gentle conversation with the family, and everyone was responding back, except Cody (he was still kind of anxious). It was about hallway through dinner when it became a problem…

  
It all started when Seth decided to lean over to Cody and tell him a joke. “Cody, guess what diet I’m on?” The little boy gave him a confused look and shrugged. “A seafood diet. See, food!” And then he opened his mouth and proudly displayed to the table his mouth full of chewed up food. Cody, Bayley and Dean busted out laughing, while the adults cringed. “Seth, that’s not appropriate,” Randy said, frowning a little. Seth swallowed his food and laughed. “Sorry.” After that, it was calm for about five minutes, until Bayley reached over the table toward Dean, and stole some of his mash potatoes. She was practically laying on the table because she’s so short. “Hey!” Dean said playfully, grabbing her wrist. “This is mine!” “You’re not even eating it,” she said matter of factly, smirking. “I want it.” “Bayley,” Roman said sternly. “If you wanted more, just ask. There a whole bowl of mash potatoes on the table.” “Okay,” she shrugged, then promptly flicked the mash potatoes at Dean, laughing as it landed on his shirt. “Bayley!” Dean and Randy both said, Dean in amusement and Randy in shock. Dean picked up the mush off his shirt, dropped it on his plate, then wiped what was remaining on his hand onto Cody’s sleeved. Roman groaned and squeezed the bridge of his nose. “Kids, knock it off.” Cody turned to him, eyes wide. “But I didn’t do anything!” he whined. Roman ignored him though, grabbing a napkin and wiping his sleeve. What he wasn’t prepared for, was Cody picking up his own mash potatoes- with his bare fucking hands- and throwing it at Dean; except, Dean ducked, and it hit Bayley instead. “Cody!” Randy and Roman both said, while Bayley shrieked. Bob and Elaine looked on in surprise. Bayley picked up the mash potatoes and was prepared to throw it back but stopped when she saw the glares of her Dads’ faces, especially Randy’s. It was kinda red, like a tomato. “If you four don’t stop this nonsense right now, you won’t be getting any dessert AND you’ll be going to bed early. Do I make myself clear??” Roman said firmly, glancing at all four kids. They nodded, but Seth was smirking a little. So far, so good.

  
The kids behaved for the rest of dinner, so as a reward for listening, Randy and Roman let them have their dessert in the living room, as long as they ate their ice cream at the coffee table. The kids liked this idea because that meant they could play Uno. What they weren’t happy about was the fact that they’re grandparents wanted to play too. During round two, with their ice cream mostly melted, Cody decided to make his move. Instead of using his spoon, he decided to scoop up what was left on his ice cream -again, with his bare fucking hands- and shoved it into his mouth, wiping the mess on the front of his shirt. Dean snorted. “Cody, you have um, here, I’ll get it.” He reached over to thumb off the mess on Cody’s face, but the little boy playfully sneered and pressed his sticky hand against his brother’s cheek. Dean cringed and pulled away. “Not cool man.” Randy huffed and looked at Cody, annoyed. “Seriously? We just washed your hands.” Cody sent him an innocent look. “Sorry Daddy.” Randy sighed and gestured for the bathroom. “Go wash your hands please.” Once Cody left, Bayley decided to act up, taking a peek at Cody’s cards. “Hey! Don’t cheat!” Seth laughed, pushing her away. “I’m not cheating!” Bayley giggled. “Just using my advantage.” “How do you even know what that word means? Did they teach that in second grade?” Dean questioned. Randy gave him a warning growl, but Bayley wasn’t offended. “Heard it on tv. I also learned the words douchebag, and wanker on tv too.” Bob sputtered as Bayley turned to look at her Dads. They were as shocked as Bob was. “What do those words mean?” She asked cheekily. Randy’s eyes turned dark. “Bayley, you know those are bad words because you’ve asked this question before. Don’t say them again.” At the point, Bayley backed down, nodding silently. She didn’t anticipate Randy getting mad about her question. Usually, he laughed when they said a bad word, then gently -key word, gently- reminded them not to say them again. She glanced at Seth and he shrugged. _I’ll take it from here_ , his eyes read. 

  
After Uno, the kids showed Bob and Elaine their Wii and decided to play Just Dance with them. “It’s fun,” Cody said, bouncing up and down. “I can’t dance really good, but my friend Enzo can. I bet he’s really good at this game.” Seth and Dean got it set up and danced to Bruno Mars with Bob first. Next, Cody, Bayley and Elaine cam and danced to the same song. It went like this for about 3o minutes. At some point, Randy and Roman came down to the playroom after cleaning the kitchen and watched them play, even joining in a couple times. It was all fun and games until Seth told Bob, “I don’t want you to play this round. You’ll ruin our score with your crappy dancing.” Randy exploded. “Seth! What the actual _fuck_ , is wrong with you?” He hissed, standing up. It went silent; everyone was staring at him with wide eyes. “Actually, I take that back, what the hell is wrong with each and every one of you kids? I asked for one thing tonight, _ONE THING_ , and you guys couldn’t even listen to that! What is so wrong with behaving, huh? It’s not that fucking hard! You four ruined this evening, and now, I’m sure your grandparents don’t want to come back!” Bob and Elaine were going to protest, but Cody spoke up first, his voice quiet. “We didn’t want them to come back anyway.” Randy swallowed hard, clenching his fists. “Go to your rooms,” he said through gritted teeth. “NOW!” The kids scrambled, Seth and Dean to their rooms, and Bayley and Cody upstairs. Randy plopped down on the playroom couch and breathed hard, clenching the side of his head. “Jesus fucking Christ,” he mumbled, then bit his lip hard. He was pissed and struggling to calm down. Roman was at a lost at what to do, and Bob and Elaine were too. They were kind of hurt, actually. They had thought they got along with the kids pretty well. Elaine tuned to Roman and gave him a sad smile. “We’ll um, show ourselves out. It seems like you have a situation here and we don’t want to be in the middle of that.” Roman nodded and sighed. “Y-yeah. Sorry about this evening. I have no idea what’s gotten into those kids.” Bob chuckled and shrugged. “They’re kids, you never know what they’re thinking half the time either.” They said their goodbyes and left, leaving the two husbands alone. Roman placed his hand on his forehead and shook his head. “What am I going to do?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Who do you think behaved the worst? 👀


	20. After the Operation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick question: Would you guys like to see back-to-school outfits for the kids? I put some on a Pinterest board but was wondering if that's what you guys would like to see? Let me know!

  
“Is there any reason why you four acted the way you did tonight?” Roman asked as he stood in front of the kids in the living room. They had bathed, and now were listening to their Papa lecture them. Randy was no where to be seen. None of the kids answered, which only frustrated Roman. “Hello? I’m waiting for an answer,” He said, crossing his arms. Cody went to speak up, but Seth elbowed him, sending him a glare. Of course, Roman noticed. “Since you won’t let Cody tell me, you tell me Seth. Was this your idea?” Seth cringed and nodded. The Samoan man sighed harshly and squeezed the bridge of his nose. “Why?” “Because they’re weird!” Dean blurted out. “There’s something weird about them.” “And Nona kept staring at me, even when she wasn’t even talking to me!” Bayley added. Cody brought his knees to his chest and hid his face in-between them. Roman sighed. “There’s nothing wrong with Nona and Pops, they’re fine.” “Gonna be mean again,” Cody mumbled, loud enough for everyone to hear. “Gonna be mean again to you and Daddy.” “They’re not,” Roman stressed again. “They already apologized.” “But I bet they didn’t mean it,” Seth huffed out. “Papa, there’s something weird about them, you have to trust us, please.” Roman placed his hands on his hips and looked up at the ceiling. “Lord have mercy,” he whispered, glancing back at the kids. “All four of you are grounded until Friday.” Seth went to protest but Roman sent him a glare. “No, Dad and I asked for one thing tonight and that was to behave, but you couldn’t do that apparently so, you’re grounded. No tv, no video games, no toys, and no playing outside. You can read and color, that’s it.” He turned to Bayley. “This time, I will let you color, but no painting, and no using you sketch books. Do I make myself clear?” The kids glumly nodded and Roman sighed. “Good. Now, go to bed please. Your grounding starts tomorrow.” Seth, Dean and Bayley went to their rooms, but Cody stayed, looking at his Papa with wide glassy eyes. “What is it kiddo?” Roman asked quietly. Cody played with his fingers. “No toys?” he whispered. Roman shook his head. “None. Until Friday.” A couple tears slipped from Cody’s eyes, but he nodded, hastily wiping them away as he hopped of the couch and scampered up to his room. Roman groaned and put his head in his hands. _What a mess._

  
It was about thirty minutes later when Roman decided to go to bed. As he entered the bedroom, he saw Randy absentmindedly watching YouTube on his phone. “Hey,” he said softly as he started change for the night. Randy only grunted softly. “Are you still mad at the kids?” Roman asked after changing, sitting on the edge of the bed. Randy shrugged and sighed. “No, just really annoyed. I talked to my parents and they were kind of hurt that the kids didn’t want them to come back. They loved them, so I don’t know why the kids acted the way they did tonight.” “Well, according to Seth, they did it on purpose because something is ‘off’ about them.” Randy lifted an eyebrow. “Really? That’s it?” He chuckled softly. “It’s actually kind of funny now that it’s over. The kids tried to misbehave on purpose; they didn’t do a good job though.” Roman busted out laughing. “Ain’t that the truth. They were more annoying then anything.” Randy nodded, but then his smile faltered. “I’m sorry for losing my cool and swearing at the kids earlier.” The Samoan man shrugged. “It’s fine. They didn’t deserve it but, it happened. They weren’t scared, if that’s what you’re thinking.” Randy sighed in relief and nodded. “Thank God for that.” Roman leaned over and kissed his lips. “Don’t worry, they’re grounded so hopefully, they’ll learn their less.” _Key word: hopefully._

  
That next morning, Randy was the first one awake. He slowly sat up and sighed softly. He wasn’t ready to face the kids today. He was still annoyed with them, but that wasn’t the problem. Roman told him that they weren’t scared when he raised his voiced, but he remembered when he yelled at Cody and his reaction to it; he was praying that what Roman said was true. He quietly got up as to not disturb his sleeping husband, did his business then left the bedroom. He was halfway down the stairs when he heard a door open. Turning around, he saw Bayley. She locked eyes with him and froze, clenching her jaw. Randy gave her a small smile. “Morning sweetheart.” Bayley bit her lip and whispered, “Morning Daddy.” “Coming down for breakfast?” She nodded and bounced a little. “Bathroom first.” Randy chuckled. “Alright, I’ll be down in the kitchen.” Bayley nodded again and basically ran to the hall-bathroom. It was about three minutes later when she made her way downstairs and hopped up on a chair at the island. “What do you want for breakfast?” Randy asked as he made himself a cup of coffee. Bayley shrugged, eyeing him weirdly. “Um…Fruity Pebbles please.” Randy made her bowl and handed it to her, then started to make himself some eggs. “Daddy?” Bayley asked a couple minutes later. “Are you…are you still mad?” Randy sighed softly. “Of course, not Princess.” “Oh, okay, because you were really, really mad last night.” “Were you scared?” He asked nervously, looking at her. Bayley gave him an offended look. “No! Why would I be scared?” Randy blinked, then frowned. _How the hell do I answer that_? “Well,” he started, awkwardly clearing his throat. “The last time I yelled, Cody was scared of me.” “He was scared that you wouldn’t come back, Daddy,” Bayley gently corrected, dipping her spoon back into her bowl. “He wasn’t scared _of_ you.” Randy swallowed hard. _Well…that changes things._ “As long as no one was scared of me,” he mumbled to himself.

Cody groaned softly as he woke up, covering his face with his blanket. He wasn’t ready to wake up for the day. Randy had said no toys; Kenzie and Ms. B are toys, which means, -in his little six-year-old mind- he can’t have them until Friday. He blinked away his tears and sat up, hugging his plush toys close to his chest. “Sorry for being a bad boy,” he whispered to them. “I can’t play with you because I was bad and didn’t listen.” He stood up and placed him on his bookshelf. “Can’t play, but I can still see you,” he whispered sadly to himself, wiping his tears again. “I’ll play with you soon.”


	21. Dr. Mandy Deville-Rose

This Monday, Roman decided to take Seth, Dean and Bayley to their therapy appointment while Randy stayed home for Cody’s. It was about ten minutes after the older kids left when the doorbell rang. Cody, who had been sitting at the kitchen island silently coloring, tensed and quickly looked at Randy. “Daddy,” he whimpered softly. Randy kissed his head and placed him on his hip. “Its okay. Remember what Papa and I told you? She’s really nice and she’s here to help you.” Cody only whined and hid his face against Randy’s shoulder. The older man sighed softly and swung the door open. On the other side stood a woman with blond hair, green eyes, and a bright smile. “Hello!” he said cheerfully. “Are you…Randy or Roman?” “The first one,” Randy answered, chuckling and letting her inside. Cody squeezed his arms around his neck tighter, refusing to look up. “Well, I’m Dr. Deville-Rose, but you guys can call me Dr. Mandy,” she said, holding out her hand. Randy shook it and smiled. “It’s nice to meet you. And this right here, is Cody.” He cringed a little. “He’s a little shy.” “That’s quite alright. Why don’t we go somewhere where he’s more comfortable?” Randy led her to the living room; she sat down on one side of the coffee table, and Randy placed Cody down on the other side. Cody on the other hand, wasn’t very happy about that. “Don’t leave!” He quickly said when his Daddy stood up. Randy smiled softly. “I’m just getting your coloring stuff from the kitchen.” Then he left, leaving the little boy and the doctor alone. “Hi Cody,” Mandy said softly. “It’s nice to meet you. Your Daddy and your Papa have told me so much about you.” Cody hid his face between his knees, right as Randy came back, placing his coloring book and markers in front of him. He sat down next to the boy and pulled him on his lap. “Cody,” he whispered. “Remember what we talked about?” The little boy didn’t answer, but he did attach himself to Randy like an octopus. “I can’t sit here with you when Dr. Mandy is here.” “Don’t leave Daddy,” Cody mumbled, looking up as his eyes filled with tears. “I won’t baby, I’ll be in the dining room. I told you this last night.” Cody sniffled and his bottom lip wobbled. “I’m scared.” “Don’t be,” Randy responded, kissing his cheek. “Dr. Mandy is really nice, and she’s safe. I promise.” “How about, your Daddy stays, just for a little bit, okay?” Mandy suggested. “And when he thinks your comfortable to be alone, he’ll leave, alright? How’s that sound?” She asked, mostly to Randy. He smiled and nodded. “I think that sounds good, what about you kiddo?” “Do I still get to sit on your lap?” Randy and Dr. Deville-Rose laughed. “Of course.”

  
“What do you like to do when you aren’t playing with your brothers and sister?” Mandy asked about 20 minutes later. Cody had finally showed that he was comfortable to be left alone with the doctor so Randy left, deciding to work in the kitchen instead of the dining room to be close, just in case the little boy needed him. Cody shrugged and looked through his box for another crayon. “Playing with my cars, and my trucks, and my Legos. I have a Lego police car that my friend Sami and his Daddy gave me. It’s my favorite.” Mandy smiled. “It’s nice to have a favorite toy. Do you have any other favorites?” The five-year-old nodded, tilting his head slightly. “Mhm. My fire truck, and my Captain America shield, and…” Cody scrunched up his nose. “Kenzie and Ms. B.” “Who are they?” “My plushies,” he mumbled softly, leaning close to his picture. He wasn’t very comfortable talking about them to a stranger, but he didn’t know how to tell her that he wanted to talk about something else. “My daughter has a bunch of plushies, but she has one favorite. It’s her monkey, and she named him George,” Dr. Mandy said, trying to catch the boy’s eyes. “Do you want to know why she named him that?” “Because of Curious George?” Cody asked, peeking up at her. She chuckled. “Yep. It’s one of her favorite movies, even though she’s eight now.” Cody nodded but remained quiet. He was tired of talking. “Can Daddy come back now?” He asked after a couple moments of silence. “Is it okay if I ask a couple more questions first?” Mandy asked softly. Cody squirmed uncomfortably but nodded anyway. The doctor placed her notepad down and smiled softly. “Cody, do you know why I’m here?” Cody bit his lip. “To help me up here,” he answered, pointing to his head. “That’s what Daddy and Papa said.” “Your Daddy and Papa are right,” she responded. “But first, I have to get you to trust me. I don’t expect you to tell me what’s bothering you or what you’re afraid of right away, that’s going to take some time. There’s going to be some days that you don’t want to talk, and some days that you do, but I’m going to be there every step of the way until you start to feel better, okay?” Cody glanced at her and nodded. “Okay. I…I want to stop having scary dreams.” Mandy smiled softly. “I can help with that. Now, let’s talk about school. I heard you’re going into the first grade…”

  
Later that night, Cody tossed and turned in his sleep, seeming to not find a comfortable sleep position. Unfortunately, he knew the real reason why he couldn’t sleep. He sat up and looked toward his bookshelf. Because of his night light, he could clearly see Kenzie and Ms. B staring back at him. He sighed softly and laid back down, pulling his pillow over his face. He really, _really_ , wanted to cuddle them, to help him go to sleep, but he’s grounded. “And Papa said no toys,” he mumbled. His eyes began to fill with tears. He’s been up for hours and was starting to get a little frustrated that he couldn’t sleep. But what if…Papa didn’t know? Cody wakes up before both his parents, even earlier than Roman when he has to go to work. He could cuddle with his plushies for the night, then put them back before Daddy and Papa find out he touched them! _Awesome plan!_ He quickly got up, grabbed Kenzie and Ms. B and hopped back into bed, pulling them to his chest and sighing contently. “Safe,” he whispered to himself, closing his eyes. “I’m safe now.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I won't write about every appointment the kids go to because that'll take up too much time. This will be the last one for awhile, as the kids go back to school soon and I want to write about that. I also have more characters to introduce. It's going to get interesting guys, trust me :)
> 
> Also, any guesses on who Mandy's daughter is?


	22. You Always Say That

**Wednesday**

  
Bayley sighed softly as she listened to Cody whine softly in his seat. He wasn’t happy with the button up shirt he had to wear. They had to dress nice again because tonight is “Meet the Teacher Night” at their school. Bayley herself was dressed in a pink sweater with white polka dots, a jean skirt, and pink converse. Seth and Dean were dressed in matching white, button up shirts and black jeans. Cody was also wearing a button up, but his was gray. He wasn’t happy either; complaining about how his neck was itchy. “Bayley,” Randy sighed from the front passenger seat. “Can you undo the top button of Cody’s shirt please?” Bayley huffed quietly but did what she was asked. Immediately, she noticed how Cody relaxed, leaning back in his seat and mumbling a soft, “Thank you.” _Good, maybe he’ll be quiet until we get there._ As you can see, Bayley is not in a good mood. Why? Because she’s been pushed aside all day by Randy, and then Roman when he got home from work. She wanted French toast for breakfast, but Cody vetoed it, stating he wanted waffles instead. Randy made waffles. She wanted to color in her room, alone; her brothers insisted on coloring with her. She protested, which then turned into an argument. Long story short, she was forced to color with her brothers in the living room because Randy, “didn’t want to hear them complain anymore.” Roman came home early was in charge of lunch. Bayley wanted grilled cheese and tomato soup, but… you guessed it! Her brothers wanted chicken tenders and fries. Majority won, and she was left pissed off. And just thirty minutes ago, she wanted her Papa to do her hair in two French braids, but Cody was throwing a fit about his shirt; for some reason, it took both he and Randy to calm him down. By then, it was time to go and Bayley’s hair wasn’t styled the way she wanted it to. So yeah, she was pretty annoyed with everything and rightfully so. She was tired of being ignored and pushed aside. She could handle it from her brothers, (she expected it, since she’s the only girl) but her Daddy and Papa? She was going to explode if they did it one more time, and she wasn’t sure how much she was going to hold back.

  
Arriving at school, the family hopped out the car and started walking toward the entrance. Usually, Bayley would hold one of her Dads’ hands, but she wasn’t really in the mood to be near them if not necessary, so she opted to walk in front of them with Seth and Dean instead. Roman noticed that as he took Cody’s hand in his. “What’s wrong with Bayley?” He whispered over to Randy, who shrugged. “I’m not sure. She’s been moody since breakfast this morning. It was weird too, because she was fine until then.” “I noticed she was in a mood when I got home but I thought it was because she’s upset about the grounding.” Randy shook his head. “I don’t think so. She was fine yesterday even though they’re grounded.” Roman frowned. “Do you think she had a nightmare?” Randy fell silent for a couple moments. “Maybe? But, you know if she did, she’ll come to us about it.” “Yeah, you’re right.”

  
_Oh, but they are, so, so wrong._

  
After signing in at the front office (and seeing Mr. Roode again), the family went to Cody’s classroom first. His teacher for this school year is Charly Caruso, aka, Mrs. Caruso. She’s new to the school, so Randy and Roman were excited to meet her. Cody was too, surprisedly. He loved school and was pretty happy to be going back soon. “Go sit over there,” Roman whispered to the older kids, pointing the reading area. “We’ll be over here with Cody talking to his teacher. We won’t be long.” The kids did as they were told, sitting down in the various chairs nearby. “How long do you think this will be?” Dean asked out loud. Seth shrugged. “I dunno, why?” “Do you think Dad and Papa will let us get a treat after this? Like ice cream?” Seth groaned softly. “Oh man, that sounds so good. We should ask.” Bayley scoffed. “They’re going to say no.” Dean raised his eyebrows. “How do you know that?” “We’re grounded.” She crossed her arms. “They’re going to say no.” “You don’t know that,” Seth said, frowning. Bayley rolled her eyes but didn’t respond. She just wanted to go home.

  
Next, they went to Bayley’s new classroom and met her teacher, Daniel Bryan, aka, Mr. Bryan. Bayley perked up her attitude just a little; she didn’t want her new teacher to think she was a grumpy kid. She liked him, he knew a lot of weird, fun facts and Bayley just knew she was going to learn a lot this year. The last class they went to was Seth and Dean’s. They got the same teacher, much to Randy and Roman’s relief. They have been in the same class since Kindergarten and were hoping to keep it that way before they had to split off in middle school next year. Their fifth-grade teacher this year is Mike Kanellis, aka, Mr. Kanellis. Seth and Dean immediately took to him, especially Seth because he knew a lot about engineering. By the end of the night, Randy and Roman were no longer worried about how the kids would do this school year.

  
“Dad, Papa, can we get ice cream?” Seth asked as they climbed back into the car. Randy checked the time and cringed a little at how late it was. “yeah but how about I go to the store and pick up a carton?” Seth sent Bayley a smirk and nodded. “Yeah!” “Alright, you guys pick out a flavor. We’ll drop you off at home with Papa and I’ll go get the ice cream.” Even though Bayley was shocked that he had said yes, she was pretty excited, turning to her brothers. “We should get cookie dough!” She said. Seth’s eyes went wide and Dean eagerly nodded. “Cookie Dough is awesome! What about you Cody?” Bayley turned to look at her younger brother and instantly frowned. He had a look on his face, and face that read he disagreed. “I don’t want cookie dough, I want strawberry.” Bayley made a face. She _hated_ strawberry. “Um…what about chocolate?” Dean offered. The eight-year-old nodded. Basic, but she likes chocolate either way. Cody shook his head and kicked his feet slightly. “No, want strawberry.” This went on for about two minutes; Seth, Dean and Bayley offering different flavors and Cody insisting on strawberry. “What about…bubble gum?” Seth eventually said, Dean nodding along. Bayley’s shoulder’s slumped. She didn’t like bubble gum ice cream either. It was too sweet for her. But Cody apparently found it appealing, nodding his head. “Bubble gum it is,” Dean said excitedly. “I don’t like bubble gum ice cream,” Bayley whined, slumping back in her seat. “Can we choose something else.” By then they had arrived home; Roman had opened the garage but didn’t pull in yet. Randy turned in his seat. “How many want bubble gum?” All three boys raised their hands, and Randy gave his daughter a small smile. “Sorry baby girl, majority wins. Next time we buy ice cream, I’ll let you pick the flavor.”

  
**Bayley completely lost her shit.**

  
“That’s not fair!” she yelled, quickly unbuckling her seatbelt. “You and Papa always get what they want! You don’t even care about me anymore!” Bayley yanked her door open in ran inside the house, up to her room and slammed her door shut. She was done. She just didn’t understand why her Daddy and Papa didn’t listen to her anymore. She pressed her back against her door and cried into her knees. _They don’t love me anymore._

  
Randy and Roman sat in the car dumbfounded, as did the boys. What just happened? “Um,” Roman said. “How about we get ice cream tomorrow instead?” Seth and Dean nodded silently, as did Cody. He didn’t even try to put up a protest about the frozen treat. Roman eventually pulled the car into the garage and they all got out. Once inside, the kids were instructed to stay downstairs while they went to talk to Bayley. Once again, no one argued. Randy and Roman gave each other a look before slowly making their way up to Bayley’s bedroom, knocking on the door softly. “Bayley?” Roman said. “Can we come in?” “Go away!” she yelled back, her voice cracking. “I don’t want to talk to you! And I don’t want to talk to Daddy either!” “Please baby girl,” Randy spoke up. “We just want to talk about want happened in the car. Can we please come in?” She didn’t answer this time, so the pair took that as a sign to come in. When they entered, Bayley was sitting on the edge of her bed, a blanket wrapped around her shoulder and was hugging her donut pillow to her chest. Randy and Roman sat down on the floor in front of her. “Bayley,” Roman said gently. “Can you tell us what happened in the car.” Bayley’s jaw clenched and she didn’t look up from the floor. “You guys don’t care about me anymore,” she grumbled out. “That’s not true sweetheart,” Randy responded. “We care about you a lot. You’re our daughter. What made you think that?” “Because,” she wiped her eyes. “Seth and Dean and Cody always get what they want. You never ask me.” Roman frowned. “Bayley, that’s not-” “It is!” she blurted out. “We had waffles for breakfast because _Cody_ wanted it. Daddy didn’t ask if I did!” She sent Randy a glare. “And we had chicken and fries for lunch because they wanted it, but Papa didn’t ask me if I wanted it!” This time, she sent Roman a glare, tears once again, spilling down her cheeks. “You don’t care what I want and it’s not fair!” Randy and Roman were once again taken back by her outburst, blinking slowly to try to process what she just told them. “And…” Bayley continued before they could respond with anything. “A-and you don’t play with me anymore. You guys always play with Seth and Dean and Cody, but not me.” Randy was the first one to break the silent. “Baby…I…we’re sorry if we made you feel that way,” he said softly. “And we do care about you sweetheart, just the same as the boys.” Bayley still didn’t look up, so Roman stepped in. “We love you sweetheart, so, so much. You know that, right?” Bayley shrugged, and Roman’s heart sank. “Bayley…you do know that we love you, right?” Her hands were shaking now. “I-I don’t…I don’t know.” Roman took her head in his hands, forcing her to look up. “Bayley,” he said desperately, tears prickling his eyes. “Please, you have to know that we love you. Please.” Bayley tried to speak past the lump in her throat but couldn’t, only more tears spilled down her cheeks. All of Roman’s resolved snapped. “Oh God,” he mumbled tearfully, then rushed out of the room. Randy on the other hand was holding on stronger than his husband. It hurt. It hurt so damn much that their daughter was doubting their love for her, but they only have themselves to blame, right? He quickly wiping his eyes to keep the tears at bay and turned to Bayley. He’ll deal with Roman after this. “Sweetheart,” he said softly. “We love you. We love you so damn much and I really need you to know that. We’re sorry that it hasn’t seemed like we’ve shown it lately but God, we really do love you baby girl, just as much as we love the boys.” Bayley at this point had buried her face into her pillow was sobbing earnestly. Randy pulled her into a hug, even though she didn’t hug him back. “We love you Bayley,” he whispered, kissing her head. “We’ll make it up to you.”

_You always say that._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please don't hate Randy and Roman, they're trying :(


	23. A Promise

  
Bayley lay in bed that night, wide awake. The tears had stopped long ago and now, she was just feeling a little numb. She hadn’t meant to explode the way she did. But did she regret it? No. She just wished that she controlled herself better. She made Papa cry, and that was something she couldn’t stomach. She knows that her Dads love her. But lately, she’s been feeling like they haven’t started to love her less and less. She understood, though. Her brothers are struggling a lot more than her, so of course Randy and Roman are going to pay more attention to them. She just wished that they would play with her once and a while, or read to her, or even cuddle with her. She couldn’t remember the last time she snuggled with either one of her Dads. She sighed and rolled over, pulling the blanket over her head. She didn’t want to think of that anymore. She closed her eyes and relaxed, slowly falling asleep. Unfortunately, her dreams didn’t give her a break.

  
That next morning, Roman was the first one awake. He called out of work because after last night, he and Randy needed to fix things with Bayley. She’s doubting their love for her and it…it hurt. It hurt so much, and they only have themselves to blame. But he planned on making it up to her today. If she even wants to be near us. He got up, did his business, kissed his still sleeping husband on the cheek, then went downstairs. First things first, he was going to make French toast. Randy didn’t make it yesterday, so he hoped that she still wanted it. He was halfway done when Seth slowly made his way into the kitchen, bedhead and all. Roman smiled softly when he climbed up on a chair. “Hey kiddo.” “Hi Papa,” he mumbled back, laying his head on his arms. “Still tired?” The boy nodded. “Yeah, Dean kicks in his sleep.” “Did he have a nightmare?” Roman asked, pulling out the syrup. Seth huffed. “No, he just wanted to cuddle. But all he did was wrap himself in my blanket, only leaving me like, an inch. He’s a blanket hog!” Roman laughed; the image of Dean curled up in a blanket and Seth laying next to him with nothing was funny to him. “Well, next time, make him bring his own blanket,” he said, sliding Seth a plate. The boy smirked and began eating, already making plans to get back at his brother.

  
By 10 a.m., everyone was awake and moving around; Dean was getting ready to leave for his appointment, and Randy was getting ready to take him. Everyone was up…except Bayley. Thing is, Bayley is awake, but refusing to go downstairs. She knew she would have to eventually, but as of now, she wasn’t going to. Roman couldn’t blame her. After everything that went down last night, why _would_ she want to show herself? It was dampening his plans, but he wasn’t going to force her. “She needs space,” he mumbled to himself as he sat at the dining room table, turning on his laptop. “And space I’ll give her.”

  
Up in her room, Bayley was sitting in her window nook, drawing. She wasn’t really drawing anything particular, just animals from memory and whatever she could see outside. She was bored though, and hungry. But she was scared to go downstairs. Daddy already took Dean to his appointment, so she didn’t have to worry about him; it was her Papa that she didn’t want to face. She’s still upset with them, but she knew that if she went downstairs, he is going to want to talk to her. She’s not ready for that yet. She kept drawing for another five minutes until her stomach had enough, growling loudly. She sighed and stood up, slowly making her way downstairs. She was nervous. As she made it to the bottom, she didn’t hear anything. Seth and Cody must be in the playroom. Unfortunately, the closer she got to the kitchen, the more she could her tapping noises. Keyboard, tapping noises. She tensed. _Papa._ She stood frozen for a moment, then, finally gained the courage to go talk to him. She stepped into the dining room and wrapped her arms around herself. “Papa?” she called out softly. She watched him jump a little, whipping his head around to look at her. “Oh…hi sweetheart,” he responded just as gently. Bayley swallowed hard. “Um…I’m hungry. Can I have some cereal please?” “I made French toast,” her Papa said, standing up and leading her back to the kitchen. “I know you didn’t get it yesterday, so I made it today, if you still want it.” Bayley perked up a little, then frowned. She knew that the only reason why he made it was because she had said something. If she never said anything, they’d probably be having whatever Cody picked out. She blinked rapidly, scrambling herself from her thoughts. _Seth and Dean and Cody need help more than me, that’s why they get what they want_ , she reminded herself, then nodded her head to Roman. He took out a plate, piled up her food then put it in the microwave. It was silent for a couple moments, until Bayley decided to speak up again. “Papa, I... I-I know you and Daddy love me. I’m sorry I said that I didn’t know.” Roman took her plate out of the microwave when it beeped and turned around. His face was in a solemn frown. “You don’t have to apologize Bayley. We made you feel that way, it’s not your fault.” He rounded the island and held her face in his hands. “We love you so much sweetheart, I want you to always remember that, okay? Nothing will ever make us love you less. I’m sorry that you’ve been feeling left out and pushed aside lately, and that it seemed that we’ve been paying more attention to the boys, but I promise, that will not be happening again.” Bayley smiled a little, swinging her feet. _Papa made a promise._

  
_And he never breaks his promises._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We'll be revisiting Bayley's struggles soon. There will still be snippets, but it's going to be awhile before we REALLY focus on her again.
> 
> Next up to bat is Seth, then after that, Cody :)


	24. New...Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys *waves sheepishly*
> 
> So, um...writer's block is a pain in the ass. I have all these ideas but leading up to them is hard *sighs* I've also been busy because my Spring Quarter classes started back in Aprilhb. I’m sorry for this month-long wait, though.
> 
> Anyways, updates will be going back to once a week, maybe twice if I'm feeling really motivated. I hope this makes up for the lost time.

Friday morning, Randy was met with three, very excited boys asking to go to the park. It took making cinnamon rolls to calm them down, much to Randy’s amusement. “We’ll go, but only if Bayley wants to,” he answered. “Why?” Dean asked. “It’s three against one; majority wins. We have to go even if she says no.” “Hey,” Randy frowned. “I know that’s what Papa and I always did but we won’t be using that anymore. It’s not fair.” Seth tilted his head. “So, if Bayley doesn’t want to go, we can’t? How is that fair.” Randy sighed softly as he put the extra cinnamon rolls in the oven. “We’ll talk it out if it gets to that.”

  
Bayley woke up about ten minutes later and reluctantly made her way downstairs to the kitchen. To be honest, she wasn’t really looking forward to breakfast. She knew her Daddy would be down there, and she just wasn’t really…ready to be around him much. He and Papa promised to make it up to her, and they tried, but she shut them down. _I shouldn’t have complained. My brothers need more help than me._ She hoped that by dodging their attempts to spend time with her, they’ll focus back on the boys, so they’ll feel better, even if it hurt her to do so. Arriving into the kitchen, she smiled softly at her Daddy as she climbed up onto a chair next to Cody. “Morning,” she mumbled, loud enough for everyone to hear. They greeted her back, Randy a little bit sadly as he made a plate for her. Like Roman, he’s noticed how distant Bayley has become. He really wanted to make it up to her, but he wasn’t going to push her. If she wanted some time to herself, he was going to respect that. After making her plate, he smiled softly and placed it in front of her. “Thank you, Daddy,” she said, sending him a small smile. “You’re welcome Princess. So, we have a question for you.” Bayley furrowed her eyebrows and looked at Randy, then her brothers. “What is it?” “Do you wanna go to the park today?” Cody asked excitedly, bouncing in his seat. Bayley tensed a little. No, she didn’t want to go to the park today. She’s rather sit at home and paint, **alone** , with no one bothering her. Yesterday’s talk with Roman, and then Randy later that day left her feeling…weird. She didn’t know what to think of it. So no, she doesn’t want to go to the park today. But her brother’s did. _Majority rules._ “Sure,” she mumbled, picking up her fork. The boys cheered while Randy frowned. “Bayley, we don’t have to go if you don’t want to,” he said. Seth looked at him shocked. “But Dad! She said-” he was cut off when the older man sent him a stern look. Bayley was just confused. “But…it’s three against one Daddy. We have to go even if I say no.” Randy cringed. “Um…I already explained to the boys, but we won’t be doing that anymore. It’s not fair.” Bayley still didn’t understand. “So, if I say no, we won’t go?” “Today,” Randy corrected. “Tomorrow is Saturday which means Papa will be home. If you change your mind, we’ll just go tomorrow. Or, you can stay home with one of us while the boys go.” Bayley sat back and started to think. Randy was giving her the opportunity to change her mind. But she already said yes; changing her answer would only disappoint her brothers. Plus, she could always paint when they got back. She shrugged. “No, we can go today.” Seth mumbled ‘yes’ under his breath; Randy gave her a tight smile. He could tell by her response that she was only agreeing to go because she would feel bad if she changed her mind. He wasn’t upset about it, just…frustrated. Bayley shouldn’t have to be worried about disappointing her brothers; they’d get over it eventually. Randy sighed. _But we made her this way, didn’t we?_  
  
Randy wasn’t surprised that Bayley decided to bring a coloring book and colored pencils to the park. While Seth and Dean were out in the grassy area throwing a baseball around, and Cody playing in the sand, Bayley was sitting at the picnic table across from him, coloring. He sighed. She clearly didn’t want to play, so he wasn’t going to force her. “Bayley,” he said gently. She looked up. “I was serious when I said we didn’t have to go today if you really didn’t want to.” “I already said yes Daddy,” she mumbled, looking back down at her coloring book. “If I said no, Seth and Dean and Cody would be mad at me.” “They’d get over it.” Randy took a deep breath. “You don’t need to worry about what your brothers think when it comes to your feelings, Bayley. I know…Papa and I haven’t been doing that lately and we’re sorry. But we agreed that there is going to be changes, starting with listening to you more, okay?” Bayley lifted her eyes and nodded. Randy smiled gently. “So next time there is something you don’t want to do, or don’t want, tell me or Papa. I promise we’ll listen for now on.” “Okay Daddy.”

  
Out in the grassy area, Seth and Dean were still throwing a baseball to each other while talking. “Hey Dean, do you think Finn is going to be in our class?” Seth asked. Dean grinned. “I hope so! But if he isn’t, we can still play with him at recess.” “Yeah but it’ll be better if we’re all in the same class.” “Maybe Dad can call Mr. Sheamus and ask later.” “Good idea!” Just as Seth caught the ball, he heard footsteps behind him.; and based on the look on Dean’s face, it wasn’t anyone they knew. Turning around, he came face-to-face with three kids their age: one chubby kid, one with long hair, and one with a fauxhawk. “Um…hi.” He said as Dean came to stand next to him. The kid with the fauxhawk tilted his chin up. “What’s your names?” Dean’s eyebrows shot up in amusement. “I’m Dean and this is Seth.” “Well, Dean, Seth, I’m Mike,” fauxhawk said, then pointed to the chubby kid. “That’s Kevin, and this one is Damien. We were wondering if you want to be our friends.” “But we don’t know you,” Seth pointed out. Damien snorted. “That’s how you make friends, stupid.” Seth frowned as Dean opened his mouth to retort back but was cut off by Kevin. “Quit being rude,” he sneered, shoving Damien’s shoulder. The long-haired boy only rolled his eyes and shrugged. “Whatever.” Mike sent a glare to the other boys then looked back at Dean and Seth. “So, what do you say? Wanna be our friends or what?” It was Dean’s turn to shrug. “Sure, whatever. Wanna throw this baseball around with us?” Seth’s eyes went wide as he looked at Dean in disbelief. _Can’t he feel how weird this is?_ These kids seem like trouble to Seth and he was a little skeptical. But…if Dean didn’t see anything off, why should he question it?

_He should have questioned it._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be the kids getting their gear for the fall sports they will be playing. John and Nikki will also be showing up again in the next chapter. Nothing special, just a filler.
> 
> After that will be the first day of school! I have some outfits picked out on my Pinterest, would you guys like to see them? Let me know!


	25. Bad Boy

**3 Weeks Ago,…**

  
_“Remember when Dad and I asked if you guys want to do sports once school starts?” Roman asked, eyeing the kids sitting at the island. The kids nodded. “Have you guys put any thought into it?” “Dean and I want to play flag football, like I played last year,” Seth answered, beaming and slinging his arm around his brother’s shoulders. Dean gave a sheepish grin. “Y-yeah. I didn’t get to play last year so…” Roman gave him a soft smile and ruffled his hair. “Okay kiddo. Bayley? Would you like to play volleyball again this year?” Bayley looked at him in disgust, which made Roman burst out laughing. “No!” she huffed, crossing his arms. “I want to play soccer this time. Volleyball was boring.” The Samoan man snorted. “I was just kidding princess; I know you didn’t like volleyball. But at least you tried right? So now you know you don’t like it.” He then turned to his youngest kid, who was staring down at his hands in concentration. “Bubba? Do you want to play a sport?” Cody looked up; his eyebrows still furrowed. “Basketball?” “Not yet. Remember when I told you that Basketball starts closer to Thanksgiving?” Cody’s shoulders slumped. “Oh.” “But you can still play a sport bubba, if you want.” Cody tilted his head and whispered, “What’s flag football?”_

  
_Needless to say, after showing Cody some videos of flag football, he was hooked._

**_Present_ **

  
Randy and Roman were actually pretty happy that they were able to convince Cody to play a sport this fall season. While he did go to a three-day basketball day camp earlier that summer, this would be different because he would get to be on a real team and play actual games. They were actually surprised that he chose flag football, considering that he has never been interested in throwing a football around with his brothers. _“This is a good thing,”_ Dr. Deville-Rose had said. _“You told me that he’s pretty skeptical to try new things, and the fact that he is interested in this in the first place is a huge step toward his independence._ Randy and Roman were pretty excited.

Cody on the other hand, was pretty nervous.

As they pulled up to Dick’s Sporting Goods at the mall, he was seriously starting to regret deciding to play a sport. _What if I’m not good? What if no one likes me?_ It made his head all fuzzy, putting him in a crappy mood today. He didn’t say anything as his Daddy held his hand and guided him to the store, or when they were split up; Randy taking Bayley to get her soccer gear and Roman taking the boys to get their football gear. Seth and Dean were having a blast trying on cleats and running up and down the aisles to get a feel of them. But Cody was having none of that, wanting to hold on to his Papa always. Roman picked up a red Nike cleat off the display shelf and held it out to Cody. “What about these, kiddo? These look pretty cool, don’t cha think?” Cody shrugged and shoved his face into his Papa’s thigh. Roman sighed softly and knelt down to the little boy’s level. “What’s wrong bubba? You were pretty excited to play flag football when we talked about it.” Cody simply whined and tried to hug his Papa, but Roman ignored it, grasping his shoulders instead. “Use your words please. What’s bothering you?” Cody hands started shaking as he opened his mouth a couple times, but nothing came out. “S’okay, take your time,” Roman encouraged gently. All that came out a quiet sniffle. “I-I don’t want to play anymore, Papa,” Cody mumbled wetly. Roman’s eyebrows furrowed. “Why do you say that?” Cody was once again stumped, his eyes filling with tears. He could not tell his Papa why he didn’t want to play anymore; they wouldn’t like that he’s doubting himself. So, he kept quiet, hoping that Papa wouldn’t push and just drop the subject. He got his wish…partially. Roman stood back up and took his hand. “Let’s make a deal, okay? How ‘bout, we pick out your football stuff, and when we get home, we’ll talk with Daddy about if you want to play or not. If you really decide not to play, we’ll take the stuff back. How’s that sound?” _Bad! That sounds really bad!_ Why do they have to talk about it? Cody doesn’t want to play flag football anymore; case closed. Cody stomped his foot in protest and yanked his hand away from Roman’s. “No,” he whined. “I don’t want play.” “Cody,” Roman warned gently. “Did you listen to what I said? If you truly don’t want to play, then you won’t, but I want you to truly think about it first.” But Cody was having none of it. He sat on the floor in the middle of the shoe aisle and started sobbing. “I don’t want to! I don’t want to!” Roman ignored him though, lifting him up onto his hip and walking down the aisle to see what the older boys were doing. Even though Cody wasn’t very happy with his Papa, he still wrapped his arms around his neck and pressed his forehead against his shoulder, all while still crying. _I don’t want to play. I’m not good enough._

It took a while, but eventually, all the kids had their gear picked out for their sports. Seth and Dean got the exact same Nike cleats and football gloves, only, Seth’s are white, and Dean’s are black. Bayley got a pink and white soccer ball that matched her shin guards. Her soccer cleats are black and pink. Cody got black under armor cleats and a new football perfect for his size. All of them got some practice clothing too. The kids were chatty on the way home, except for Cody. He was still pretty heated that Papa was still making him play. Why didn’t he understand that he didn’t want to. The longer it took to get home, the angrier he got; so, when they pulled into the driveway, Cody was effectively pissed (but he tried to hide it, of course). “Can we call Nana and Grandpa Sika to show them what we got?” Bayley excitedly asked once they were all settled in the house. “Of course, Princess, but use the iPad please. It’s in our bedroom,” Randy answered. Seth, Dean and Bayley all grabbed their bag and raced each other upstairs. Cody on the other hand, sat on the living room floor and glared at his bag that was sitting across from him. Roman had already told Randy what had happened earlier, so he was up to date on the boy’s mood. He placed Cody on the couch and sat next to him; Roman kneeling in front of both of them. “Cody,” Randy gently said. “Can you tell me what happened at the store today?” Cody pulled his knees to his chest and shook his head. “Bubs, we can’t help you if you don’t talk to us.” Cody was silent for a moment, before huffing softly. “Don’ wanna play flag football anymore.” “Can you tell us why?” Roman asked gently. The six-year-old frowned. “No. Don’t want to.” Roman ran his fingers through the boy’s hair. “Please kiddo? We want to understand so we can help you.” Cody clenched his jaw. “Said no. Go away.” He went to crawl off the couch, but Randy stopped him. “That’s not how you ask to be left alone,” he said, forcing him to sit properly. Cody felt his anger starting to rise again. He needed to get away before he blew up. He whined and this time, attempted to climb over the back of the couch. Roman caught him this time, forcing him back in his seat. At this point, Cody had enough and started to cry. “Don’t wanna! Don’t wanna!” He sobbed, trying to wiggle out of his Papa’s hold. _Why do I have to tell for Daddy and Papa to understand?_ His mind started to go blank as he tried to wiggle and squirm out of Roman’s hold. That was until his fist hit something solid, and then Randy yelped. Cody froze and opened his eyes, turning to look at his Daddy. Randy was holding his nose, which so happened to be bleeding. Cody then looked at his frozen fist and slowly put two and two together. Daddy…I hit daddy. But before he could say anything, Roman sat him back on the couch and stood up, pulling Randy up with him. “Cody, stay here okay? I’m going to go get Daddy cleaned up.” He didn’t sound angry, but he should be, right?

“I hit Daddy,” Cody mumbled tearfully to himself, his pinky finding it’s way into his mouth. _I’m a bad boy._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said this was going to be a filler chapter, and that John and Nikki were going to show up, but that all went out the window when this idea randomly made it's way into my head lol.
> 
> I've been looking up techniques on how to communicate to a traumatized child when they're angry or upset. As you can see, Randy and Roman tried, but were unsuccessful. :P 
> 
> Conflict resolution will be next chapter, and THEN the first day of school will happed lol.


	26. Resolution

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please Read:
> 
> Unless you have been living under a rock recently, then you know what has been going on in the Untied States. As a black female, I'm going to say this: Black Lives Matter. Do all lives matter? Yes, but they currently don't until Black ones do. If you disagree with this statement, please stop reading my story because this will be brought up very soon. The kids are old enough to be educated, so they will.
> 
> RIP George Floyd
> 
> RIP Breonna Taylor
> 
> RIP to all the innocent black individuals who have had their lives stolen because of racists ass police officers.

Roman rotated Randy’s head slightly, narrowing his eyes a little. “You’ll live,” he joked, letting go of his husband’s face. “I don’t think it’ll bruise, either.” “Good,” Randy groaned, scrunching up his nose a little. “I know Cody already feels bad, he’ll feel worse if it does bruise.” Roman sighed softly. “Speaking of Cody…we might want to get back to him.” They both made it to the entrance on the living room when Randy stopped, grabbing Roman’s arm. “Just so we’re in agreement, Cody’s not in trouble, right?” “Of course,” Roman answered quickly. “It was an accident. We’ll still have him apologize, but we won’t have him sit in time-out or something. He didn’t mean to hit you.” Randy nodded and they both made their way to the couch. Cody looked up at them then quickly hid his face back between his knees. Gonna send me away. They’re gonna get rid of me. “Hi bubba,” Randy mumbled, sitting next to the boy; Roman sat on his other side. Cody stayed silent. “We’re not mad,” Randy continued softly. “I know you didn’t mean to hit me bubba; it was an accident.” At that, Cody looked up, tears streaming down his cheeks. “I-I’m sorry! I’m sorry Daddy! I didn’t mean it!” Randy pulled the boy into his arms and smiled sadly. “I know sweet boy, I know. Its okay, I’m fine now.” But Cody only sobbed harder, causing Roman to grimace and scoot closer to rub the little boy’s back. “Shhh, shhh, you’re okay. It’s okay.” It took about ten minutes, but Cody’s sobs eventually turned into soft sniffles. He lifted his head up and pressed his tiny hands against Randy’s cheeks. “M’sorry Dada.” Roman had to keep himself from cooing because god damnit, Cody is so fucking adorable. Randy kissed the boy’s head and hugged him tightly. “It’s okay bubba.”

Later that evening, Randy and Roman were able to talk to Cody again. The little boy never did explain why he didn’t want to play anymore, but he agreed to try it out anyway. Cody kept his distance after that. Other than coloring a picture for Randy as another apology, he kept to himself until it was time to go to bed that night. That gave the Dads a chance to try to understand why he suddenly didn’t want to play flag football anymore: confidence. Cody doesn’t have a lot of self-esteem. There are some days where Cody would suddenly have a spark of confidence and agree to try something new, but once he got into his head, it would go all downhill from there. Of course, the two men have already discussed this with his therapist, and she has given them pointers on how to raise his self-esteem. It works sometimes, but today was obviously a bad day.

But they still have time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One a different note: I'm sorry I took so long on this update, and I'm sorry it's so short :(
> 
> I've really been having trouble finding ideas to lead up to the main ideas I already had planned. I promise the next chapter will be a lot longer.
> 
> Also, my birthday was May 19. One more year and I can finally buy alcohol legally :)


	27. Before the Storm...of School

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pinterest links in the notes below!!

“Seth, I need you to look me in the eyes and answer this for me: Are you completely positive that you want to cut your hair?” Seth sighed as Cody and Dean giggled behind him. “Yes Papa, I’m sure. I don’t really want it this long anymore. I want it short, like Cody’s and Dean’s.” “You haven’t been teased for it, right? That’s not the reason why you want it cut?” The other two brothers laughed harder as Seth groaned. “No one cared about my hair Papa, I just want it short now.” It was Roman turn to sigh, and he moved out of the way to let the kids out of the car. “Okay.” But as they got to the door of the barber shop, the Samoan man stopped them and turned around; before he could say anything, Seth stomped his foot impatiently. “Papa!” he whined. “I’m completely positive that I want my hair short. Can you please stop asking?” If it were a different situation, Roman would have scolded Seth for his attitude, but he could tell his second oldest son was getting annoyed, so he dropped it, giving Seth a small smile. “Sorry kiddo, just making sure you won’t change your mind.” “I won’t Papa, I promise.”

  
Across town at a salon called “Can’t Touch” (owned by Nikki) sat Bayley and Randy. “Daddy, why am I getting my haircut here? I like the other place.” Randy smiled and ruffled her hair. “I know, but Papa and I talked and, after everything we put you through these past couple weeks, we think you deserve something different.” Bayley scrunched up her nose. “Like what? I’m just getting my hair cut a little, like always.” Before Randy could answer, Nikki walked out of the back room, smiling at the duo. “Bayley! Randy! It’s nice to finally see you two again!” Bayley grinned and got up, running to the woman, and giving her a hug. “Hi Auntie Nikki!” “Hi sweetheart. Has your Dad told you what we’re going to be doing to your hair today?” “I was just about to,” Randy chuckled, directing his eyes to Bayley. “Princess, remember at the beginning of summer, when you asked Papa and I if you could dye your hair?” Bayley eyes went wide. “R-really?! I get to dye my hair?” “In streaks,” Randy said. “Papa and I talked, and we agreed not to let you dye all of your hair, just in case you didn’t like it.” “That’s okay!” The little girl quickly answered, throwing her arms around Randy’s waist.” “Thank you thank you thank you!” He smirked. “You’re welcome Princess. Now, go with Aunt Nikki and pick out a color. Any one you want.”

Getting home later that evening was an event. Randy damn near cried at seeing how short Seth’s hair was (seriously, he was devastated, and it didn’t help that Roman recorded the big chop either); and the boys were pretty excited to seeing purple streaks in Bayley’s hair. All in all, the kids were happy. After a dinner of chicken tacos and Mexican rice, the kids were bathed, and set up in the living room for a “Before the first-day-of-school” bedtime story. Seth was quick to complain that him and Dean were too old for a bedtime story, but Dean was quick to shut him explain, embarrassedly explaining that Randy has read to him a couple times and that he liked when he did. Seth was quiet after that, even offering to cuddle with Dean while Randy and Roman took turns reading “James and the Giant Peach.”

_That Next Morning, 6: 30a.m_

Waking the kids up was a lot easier because they were excited. As much as they didn’t really like school (especially Dean), they liked going because they’re friends were there. So, the kids got up willingly and all got ready without any problems. A breakfast of crepes and mini pancakes was served, and then they were out in the front yard, taking pictures. “Dean, Seth, stop messing around and hold the sign straight please,” Roman chuckled. The two boys giggled and straightened up their “First Day of Fifth Grade” sign and smiled. Cody and Bayley had signs with their respective grades on them too. Bayley was next, and, since she loved taking pictures, she did all the poses she could think of. Of course, they weren’t serious, but they got laughs out of her Dads and her brothers, so it was a win-win. And last was Cody. Cody didn’t want to hold the sign at first because he wanted to show off the shirt and necklace that he picked out “all by myself.” He did eventually hold the sign for two pictures, then set it off to the side. “Okay hooligans, ready to walk to school?” Randy chuckled, putting his phone away. One of the benefits of moving was that they now could walk to school. Randy and Roman discussed it and agreed that yes, Randy (and Roman whenever he was home) would walk the kids to school and pick them up the same away. The kids were excited, and Dean and Seth expressed wanting to walk with friends sometimes.

  
The walk to school was fine. There were other parents walking their kids too, but Randy and Roman mostly kept to themselves. They’ll introduce themselves to the other parents…eventually. Arriving at the front gates of the school was pretty overwhelming. Cody wasn’t used to this many people and immediately grabbed Roman’s hand as they walked to the back toward the playground where the classes were lining up. “Seth, Seth look, it’s Mr. Kanellis!” Dean shouted excitedly. Seth glanced over to where he was pointing and grinned. “Dad, Papa, we’re going to go now!” “Hold on!” Roman pulled them into side hugs and kissed the top of their heads. Randy pulled them over next and held their faces as he littered them in kisses. “Daaad,” Dean whined, laughing, and pushing him away. “You’re going to mess up my hair!” Seth, Bayley, and Cody’s eyes widened, as did Roman’s and Randy’s. Luckily, Dean didn’t notice and said goodbye one more time before pulling Seth over to their class. “Daddy, did you hear Dean?” Cody said excitedly, pulling on Randy’s arm. The older man smiled. “I did kiddo.” Bayley was off next, gladly accepting hugs and kisses and skipping off to her class. When Randy and Roman eventually found Cody’s teacher, he was reluctant to go at first. But then he saw Enzo, and was suddenly impatient, whining because, “Papa, your kisses are too long!” Eventually, they let him go, and stood off to the side until the kids were brought inside to their respective classrooms. “Well babe, they’re officially off to school,” Roman said as they began walking home. “Know what that means?” Randy smirked. “That we have about five hours of uninterrupted free time?” “Exactly!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kids Hair Styles: https://pin.it/2q7bO9c
> 
> First Day of School outfits and backpacks: https://pin.it/3PB0oB3
> 
> This chapter was just another filler. Next chapter is when a lot more characters will be introduced. Its going to be...priceless ;)


	28. First Day of School!

_**Cody** _

  
Discovering that Enzo is in the same class as he was a relief to Cody. Unfortunately, Sami is in a different class. But that’s okay! Because his classroom is right across the hall! They’ll lunch AND recess together, too! Cody couldn’t sit still on his spot on the rainbow carpet as Mrs. Caruso explained class expectations and rules. First grade is going to be better than kindergarten! “Okay class, if you would please stand up with your backpacks and look for your seats with your names on it? After you sit down, I want you to introduce yourself to your group mates; say your name, your favorite color and your favorite thing to do when you’re not at school. Ready…go!” All the kids quickly got up and searched for their name. Cody found his quickly. “Table three…” he mumbled to himself, sitting down in his chair. A few seconds later, Enzo came by, his eyes widening. “Cody! I’m sitting here too!” Cody grinned and wiggled in his seat as Enzo sat across from him. By then, most of the class had found their seats and Cody impatiently waited for the last two seats to be occupied so he could make some new friends. Suddenly, a girl sat next to Enzo, and Cody’s eyes widened. She had blonde-ish hair and blue eyes. As soon as she got settled, the seat next to Cody was pulled out of his spot and a boy with short brown hair sat down. He immediately placed it head on the table and sighed, his shoulders tense. “Now that everyone is seated, please introduce yourself, and then we’ll talk about cubbies and more classroom rules,” Mrs. Caruso stated. The class immediately started to chatter, and Cody turned his head back to his table expectantly. “I’m Cody,” he quickly said. “My favorite color is purple, and I like to play basketball!” “My name is Enzo, my favorite color is light blue, and I like to dance.” “Um…my name is Kelly, my favorite color is pink, and I like…sleeping.” Cody and Enzo giggled at that, causing Kelly to grin at them. They then all turned to the last kid. He sighed and sat up. “My name is Theodore; my favorite color is green, and I like to read books.” “Theodore, like from Alvin and the Chipmunks,” Enzo said, but he didn’t get a chance to laugh at his own joke before flinching at the glare he received. “I don’t like that name!” The brown-haired kid quickly snapped, then slumped back in his seat. “Call me Ted please.” “What about Teddy?” Kelly asked. All Ted gave was a disinterested shrug. Cody looked at him weirdly. Not in a mean why, more of a…concerned way. _It’s the first day of school! Why isn’t he happy?_

_**Bayley** _

  
“Sasha and Asuka aren’t in the same class as us this year, but that just means that’ll we’ll have to make more friends for them to meet! And then we’ll be an even bigger group!” Bayley giggled at Naomi’s ranting as their third-grade class was led to lunch. Bayley was a little nervous. This will be the first time she has lunch with the “big kids,” aka, the fourth and fifth graders. Unlike last year when second grade was the “big kids of the little kids”, they’re now at the bottom of the totem pole. Fourth and fifth graders are so much bigger and smarter, they could easily hurt her if they wanted to. Therefore, Bayley was nervous. Walking into the cafeteria, she waited off to the side looking with for Sasha and Asuka when she was suddenly blind sided by someone wrapping their arms around her. “Hi Bayley!” Dean laughed, then moved to the side so Seth could give her a hug too. “Why are you standing over here? Where are your friends?” Seth asked. Bayley grinned at seeing her brothers, bouncing a little. “I’m waiting for Naomi to get back so we can go find Sasha and Asuka. They’re not in our class this year.” “Well, you can eat lunch with us sometimes. I bet eating with fifth graders will make all the third graders jealous,” Dean snickered, and Seth nodded. Bayley laughed. “Okay! But not this week.” She gave them a hug again and waved goodbye just as Naomi was coming back, with Sasha and Asuka in tow.

  
_Maybe third grade won’t be so bad after all._

**_Seth_ **

  
So far, in Seth and Dean’s minds, fifth grade wasn’t so bad. Just as they predicted, Mr. Kanellis is pretty cool. What isn’t pretty cool, (in Seth’s mind) is that Mike is in their class. Yes, Mike from the park. Damien and Kevin are in the class down the hall. Seth didn’t understand why Dean didn’t see it, but something is off about those three, he just couldn’t put a finger on it. _Whatever, I’m not going to let those three weirdos ruin my time with Dean._ Luckily, when recess came along, Mike went off somewhere else while Dean and Seth met up with Finn. “Hey guys!” Finn said, dragging another kid over. “I want you to meet someone!” Dean’s eyes widened a little at the kid that Finn brought over. He had jet black hair that mostly covered his eyes and is wearing an outfit almost identical to Seth. “This is Phillip. Phillip: these are my best friends Dean and Seth.” Dean smiled first and held out his hand for a handshake. “Nice to meet you dude.” Phil looked at Dean’s hand and snorted, but shook his head, nonetheless. “Call me Phil please. Phillip makes me sound like a grandpa or something.” Seth snickered at that, and immediately knew that this kid wasn’t going to be a problem.

_Mike, Kevin, and Damien on the other hand…_

_**Dean** _

  
Dean really liked Phil. He was funny and even played two-hand-touch football with him, Seth, and Finn on the field at recess. What was really bothering him was the fact that he hasn’t really made any other friends in his class. Seth is awesome at making friends. So far, he’s befriended Kofi, Wade (Barrett) and Summer (Rae). And yeah, Seth introduced them to him, and they’re really cool, but he met them _through_ Seth. He wants to be able to go up to someone, talk to them, and have them become his friend on his own. So, when Mrs. Kanellis gave them the last ten minutes of school left to go around and meet their classmates, Dean ditched Seth and went around to try to meet everyone. Surprisedly, his classmates were open to talking, and Dean felt really proud of himself. Lilian (Garcia) was the most interesting kid he met. She liked a lot of things and has like, six favorite colors. She reminds him of Bayley. Lio (Rush) is another kid that Dean can’t wait to hang out with. He’s new to the school and he does gymnastics! _That’s so cool!_ He’s been doing it for awhile and offered to show Dean some flips the next day at recess. All in all, the first day for fifth grade went pretty well.

  
_This year is going to be so awesome!_

Let’s hope he’s right…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not even near finished with this story and I'm on chapter 28....I need to start adding some plot soon lmao
> 
> Up next: Another therapy session (I'm not going to tell you who) And Randy and Roman start to plan a party :)


	29. Journals

Because school started back up, the kid’s therapy appointments had to be moved around. Seth, Dean and Bayley still have theirs on Mondays; Randy will pick them up, drop Cody off at home with Roman, then take them to the office. Dean’s second appointment and Cody’s got moved to Saturday mornings. Dean was not happy about that one, because he wanted to sleep in. Now, bright and early, Roman was driving to Dr. Copeland’s office with a yawning and cranky Dean in the backseat. “Why do I have to go so early?” he whined, rubbing his eyes. “So, you can still have fun on Saturdays, kiddo.” Dean sighed and slumped in his seat. “I guess you’re right. Still tired though.” Roman chuckled as he parked the car. “You can nap when we get home.” Checking in didn’t take long, and within minutes, Dean was seated on the floor with a box of Lincoln logs in front of him. “Do you know why Lincoln logs are called Lincoln logs?” Dean asked as Dr. Copeland sat in front of him. “I don’t. Do you?” “Mm-hm. They’re named after President Abraham Lincoln because he was born in a log cabin.” Adam smirked. He already knew that, but Dean doesn’t need to know that. “That’s pretty cool. Where did you learn that?” “Last year in school.” “Speaking of school, you had your first day on Tuesday? How did that go?” Dean grinned. “It was so awesome! My teacher, Mr. Kanellis is really funny, and I made so many new friends!” “Yeah? How do you think this year is going to go?” “Mr. Kanellis really likes science, and I do too, so I think this year is going to be a good one.” Dean stacked a couple logs before looking up. “I don’t really like Math, but he told me that this year, Math will be in the science we learn, so I’m going to have to like it soon.” Adam laughed. “Well, he’s not wrong. The older you get; the more complicated math and science are. But I think you’ll do fine. You’re a smart kid.” Dean bit his lip and flushed. “Thank you.” “Now, on to a serious note, do you remember what we talked about last time?” “Yep. You said that we’re going to start talking about ways to express my feelings, or something like that.” “Exactly. Now, before I tell you what I want you to do for our next appointments, I want you to tell me about this week.” Dean frowned. “Like, my feelings of this week?” Dr. Copeland nodded. “You don’t have to tell me _all_ your feelings; you can leave some out. I just want to get you comfortable talking about them so that, if you ever have a problem, you’ll talk to your Dad and Papa about it. Does that make sense? Dean nodded and squirmed a little, his body tense. “Well…I got a haircut, see? I was really happy because my hair was long, and it kept getting into my eyes. And then…I was happy on the first day of school too, but uh…I’m not the best at making friends.” Dean scrunched up his nose. “Seth is, though. Most of the friends I made were through him, but I talked to Lillian and Lio all by myself, so I was proud about that.” Dean looked up in thought. “This…whole week I was happy actually. No really bad feelings.” “That’s great!” Adam said. “What about nightmares? Did you have any this week?” “No. None at all. Does that mean I can stop coming to see you now?” As soon as that came out of his mouth, Dean cringed. _That sounded less rude in my head._ “Err…sorry, that was mean. I didn’t-” He stopped when he realized Dr. Copeland wasn’t angry, he was… _laughing_. “Dr. Copeland?” Adam calmed down and ran his fingers through his hair. “Sorry! I know you didn’t mean to be rude, but it was funny.” He took a deep breath. “And to answer your question, no. Just because you didn’t have a nightmare this week, doesn’t mean you won’t have them again.” Dean sighed and slumped his shoulders. “Okay.” “So, back to what I was saying before. I need you to do something. Not only for me, but for yourself also.” “Is it like a mission?” Dr. Copeland chuckled. “Sure. Your mission is to get two journals. They can already have decorations on them if you want, but I recommend getting two blank journals to decorate yourself. That why, they’ll be uniquely yours.” Dean tilted his head in confusion. “Okay…but why do I need journals?” “To write in them of course. One will be about your feelings, and the other will be about your dreams.” “You mean, like a DIARY?” Dean looked horrified. “Diaries are for _girls_ , Dr. Copeland!” “A diary is just what girls call a journal. You’ve read Diary of a Wimpy Kid, right?” The boy nodded. “Then you know that it’s actually a journal. Greg’s brother just called it a diary to make fun of him.” Dean still wasn’t on with the idea. “Look, I promise they will help you. The first journal will be used to write your feelings in. You told me that you’re still not comfortable telling your Dads your feelings unless they ask. Journaling will help improve your confidence in expressing your feelings. And the second one will be for your dreams. Even if they’re good dreams, I want you to write down what you remember. But it’s important to write down your nightmares in as much detail as you can, even if it’s scary. Do you think you can do that for me?” Dean was tense but nodded anyway. He hated talking about his feelings, and now these journals are going to force him to.

  
They spent the rest of the session discussing how Dr. Copeland wanted him to organize his journals. It was simple: for the Dream journal, he just wants Dean to write the time (if he can remember to look at clock). And for the other, the date. That’s it. Other than that, Dean can organize them anyway he wants. By the end, Dean was grumpy, and stood over to the side seething as he listened to Dr. Copeland explain to Roman the details of the journal. Dean was hoping the Samoan man wouldn’t agree, but he proudly exclaimed, “That’s a great idea!” Then shook the Doctor’s hand. Now he was just annoyed. “I don’t need stupid journals,” Dean said as he slammed the car door shut. Roman rolled his eyes and shut his too. “You do, Dean. This is a good thing! Dr. Copeland wants to see if there’s a correlation between how your days go and your dreams.” “Corr…. corr, what does that mean? That word you said?” “It means a connection. He’s trying to figure out if your feelings throughout the day cause your nightmares.” As much as Dean wanted to protest, it made sense. Last week, he had a bad day, and that night, he had a nightmare. It wasn’t about his Mom or David this time; it was about him being left alone, with no family. He slept in Seth’s bed the rest of the night. Dean sighed and leaned his head against the window. _This is so weird._

Roman was actually surprised that Dean was on his best behavior when they stopped at a bookstore to pick out journals. Usually, when he strongly disagreed with something, he complained and whined until either Randy or Roman told him off for his attitude. He even picked out journals that have blank covers so that he could decorate himself. “This is good for you Dean, just watch,” Roman told him. Dean halfheartedly shrugged and then asked if he could get candy. (Roman let him, of course). Arriving home, Dean was quick to ditch the journals to go find his, but Roman didn’t mind. He’s had a weird day so far. “Hey babe, how was Dean’s appointment?” Randy said, walking into the living room with Cody in his arms. Roman was going to answer but frowned at seeing Cody tearful face. ‘What happened?” Randy sighed. “Well, long story short, Dr. Deville-Rose tried to get him to talk about him Mom and sister today and…she pushed just the right amount for Cody to lose it. He had a panic attack.” Roman’s eyes went wide. “W-what? That’s never happened before.” “She was shocked too, so she helped him calm down, apologized, then ended it early because she wants to go over some of her older notes and figure out new ways to help him.” The Samoan man sighed softly and gently pried Cody from Randy’s arms, holding him in his own. “Hi bubba. Therapy was rough today huh? You okay?” Cody nodded slightly and laid his head on Roman’s shoulder. “Wanna sleep now please.” “Okay sweet boy, lets go take a nap.” Roman looked at Randy and gave him a sad smile. “I’ll tell you how Dean’s appointment went once I get him settled.”

_Later that night_

  
“We should throw a party,” Randy said as he pulled his shirt off, settling in bed. Roman looked up from his phone and lifted an eyebrow. “Um…what for?” “A back-to school party, for the kids. I saw an article on Facebook; a blogger mom threw a party for her kids a couple weeks after the first day of school and let them invite a couple friends each. The parents are invited too. It was so she could meet her kid’s friends and their parents. That way, if her kids wanted to go to their house of something, she would have already met the parents. Plus, its always good to have parent-friends whose kids go to the same school as our kids.” Randy turned to look at his husband. “You can say no, but it’ll benefit us in the long run.” “No no, I get it,” Roman chuckled. “I think it’s a good idea. What day did you have in mind?”

_Somewhere else in Missouri…_

“What are you talking about? That’s not what I’m here for! I don’t even like him that way.” 

  
“You don’t have to; I just need you to flirt with him a little. He’s a sucker for flirting, trust me. Then he’ll see he made a mistake.”  
“And what about his kids? Specifically, you-know-who?”

  
“Don’t worry, we have a lawyer that’ll help you with that. The kid might not get taken away, but I guaranteed you’ll get visitation. You made a mistake in the past, big deal! You’re here now and that’s all that matters.”

  
“…If you say so.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally added some plot. I'm so proud of myself lol
> 
> Up next: More on Cody's panic attack and someone has a nightmare :)


	30. The Past is a Scary Place Sometimes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My job opens back up tomorrow, and it's finals week. My mental health is not going to survive lol

  
_**Earlier that Day** _

“Do you have any…fours?” Cody flipped through his cards and smirked. “Nope! Go fish!” Dr. Deville-Rose sighed dramatically and picked up another card from the deck. “I have a feeling you’re going to beat me once again, little man.” And she was right; he beat her for the third time in a row. Cody stood up and did a victory dance. “I’m the king of Go Fish!” The doctor laughed and clean up the cards as Cody sat back down. “What else can we play?” “Actually, I have some questions for you,” she responded, pulling out a notepad. Cody’s shoulders slumped. “Do we have to? I want to play another game.” “After these questions, I promise.” Cody sighed and nodded, pulling his knees up to his chest. He liked Dr. Deville-Rose okay enough, but he didn’t like her questions. They made his tummy hurt sometimes. “The last time we met, we talked about one of your nightmares. Do you remember that?” How could he _not_? The scary dream in question had been about his biological Dad taking Bayley away, just like he did to his sister Kenzie. “I remember,” he mumbled, his hands starting to shake. “And you told me it was really scary because your Dad, your other Dad, took your baby sister away.” _Oh no._ Cody sat up on his knees quickly. “I don’t want to talk anymore.” “Cody,” Mandy said gently. “Just a few questions, okay? I promise. Talking about your past will help you. That’s what I’m here for.” The little boy stared down at him lap. She and Daddy and Papa constantly told him that ‘therapy is going to help’ but he just didn’t understand why. He doesn’t like talking about his life before meeting Randy and Roman. Why doesn’t anyone understand that? “Can you tell me about your Mom, Cody?” Mandy asked softly. “No,” he quickly snapped back. “I don’t want to.” His eyes started to fill with unshed tears and he shakiness in his hand became more prominent. “Well… can you tell me about your sister Kenzie?” “No!” Cody’s breathing started to get choppy and he felt and sharp tingling in his chest. “Is everything okay in here?” Randy said, walking in from the dining room. Cody was quick to get up and run toward him for a hug. _Daddy’s here. He won’t make me answer those questions_. Dr. Deville-Rose smiled sadly. “Everything’s okay. I was just asking about his Mom, and his sister Kenzie.” Randy nodded in understanding. Mandy had talked to him and Roman last week about pushing Cody today to truly talk about his past. He wasn’t surprised that Cody had such a negative reaction. “Bubba,” he sighed softly, lifting the boy up and sitting down in front of the doctor, Cody on his lap. “Do you think if I sit here with you, you can answer Dr. Deville-Rose’s questions?” Cody looked up at his Dad completely horrified, the tears finally slipping down his cheeks. “N-no. Please, I don’t want to. Please don’t make me!” he begged, his chest starting to hurt more. He didn’t understand. Randy never forced him to talk if he didn’t want to. _Why is this time so different?_ “Just one question bubba, please?” Randy said softly in a pleading voice. Cody swallowed hard. He’s never heard his Daddy use that voice before. He hesitantly nodded and shifted so he was facing the doctor again. He pulled his hands through the sleeves of his hoodie so neither her nor Randy could see how bad his hands starting to shake. The pain in his chest hasn’t gone away either. Mandy gave him a reassuring smile. “You just have to answer one question, okay? Then we’ll play some games for the rest of the time. How’s that sound?” Cody nodded, tensing up. Randy kissed the back of his head and hugged him tightly. Mandy picked up her notepad again and looked at the little boy expectantly. “Can you tell me about your biological Dad?” Cody’s tears resurfaced and he shook his head violently. “N-no.” Randy gave Mandy an encouraging look and she nodded. “What happened the night your Dad took you Mom and sister away?” “Stop!” Cody sobbed, scrambled off Randy’s lap and shoving everything off the coffee table. “Stop, stop, s-stop! I don’t-” Whatever Cody was going to say got stuck in his throat, because of a sudden, it felt like his chest was getting smaller and smaller. He couldn’t breathe. “D-daddy,” he gasped, falling to his knees. “I-I can’t…I…-” Randy looked at the doctor, panic written all over his face. Mandy was surprised too but didn’t show. “Hold him,” he instructed. “Make sure his ear is pressed up against your chest.” Randy did as he was told and luckily, Cody didn’t push him away. “Cody,” Dr. Deville-Rose said gently, but loud enough over his cries. “Can you take a deep breath for me?” “I can’t!” He gasped out, his cries getting harsher. “You can,” she encouraged. “Listen to Daddy’s heart and take slow deep breath okay?” Randy took deep breathes himself, in hopes that Cody would follow. He did. It took about five minutes, but Cody calm down enough that he wasn’t sobbing anymore, just silent tears slipping down his cheeks. “You’re okay,” Randy whispered in his hair, his own eyes watering at how scary that was. “You’re okay baby, Daddy’s got you. You don’t have to talk anymore. You’re safe.”

**_Present- Around 4:30am_ **

_Three-year-old Bayley giggled as she danced around in her Cinderella dress, her plush tiger swinging from her arms. Her Mommy had gotten the dress for her because she was so good at the doctor’s last week. It’s her favorite thing to wear now! Every morning when she woke up, her Mommy would make her breakfast, then leave for work, leaving her alone. And since she was alone, she could wear whatever she wanted. Speaking of her Mom…Bayley’s ears perked up when she heard the front door open. She dropped her toy and ran out of her room toward the front door. “Mama!” She giggled, jumping into the woman’s arms. Her Mom gave her a tight squeeze and sat her down, squatting down to her height. “Baby, I need you to listen to me. I have to go away for a few days.” Bayley frowned. “Why Mama?” “For work. But I’ll be back. I don’t want you to open the door for anyone, okay? And don’t open the windows or go outside.” The woman got up and quickly went to her bedroom. She was out a few seconds later with a backpack and a duffel bag. Bayley sniffled softly. “No go bye-bye Mama,” “I have to baby.” Her Mommy picked her up and kissed her cheek. “Five sleeps, and then I’ll be home. I promise. I love you with all my heart June bug. To the moon and back.” “Love you Mama.”_

_Her Mommy never came back._

Bayley woke up with tears in her eyes and a sob stuck in her throat. She didn’t understand. Out of all the dreams she could have had, why did it have to be about her Mom? She hasn’t had dream about her since she was six. By then, her adoption date was coming up, and she had moved on from any hope that her Mom was going to come back; that they’d live happily ever after. “Some fairy tales aren’t real,” she mumbled to herself, wiping her tears away. “My Mom coming back is one of them.” She pulled her comforter back over her head and tried to force herself to fall back asleep.

_She isn’t coming back Bayley. Get over it._

_**Earlier that Day: Somewhere in Missouri** _

“Randy and Roman are throwing a back to school party for the kids. We got invited.”

“Are you going to go?”

“Of course! I can’t wait to see those little babies again. You’re invited too, you know.”

“How? I didn’t get an invitation.”

“You’ll come as our guest. They won’t say no. Plus, you’ll be able to start the plan, and see you-know-who. You’re sure that’s your kid?”

“I’ve been following them in the system ever since they were taken away from me. I’m positive.”

“Randy hasn’t decided on a date yet. I’ll let you know when he tells me. For now, keep an eye on the family. Figure out if you can find anything to use against them for visitation. This is going to be a tough one.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And the plot thickens... :0
> 
> Up next: More talks of the party, and Seth overhears something at school that makes him question the abuse that he suffered.


	31. New Information

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My friend drunk called me today. It was nice talking to her lmao.
> 
> Anyways, I'm done with finals! I'M FREE!

  
That next Monday at school, Seth sat at the lunch table with Dean, Finn and Phil talking about their favorite movies. “Mine is definitely the second Captain America,” Finn stated, biting into his sandwich. “That’s a good one. My favorite movie is The Conjuring,” Phil responded. Seth made a face at that, causing Finn and Dean to laugh. “You like horror movies?” “Heck yeah. They’re the best,” Phil smirked. “Some horror movies are really funny, like the Chucky movies, and the Freddy Kruger movies. They’re not scary at all.” Just before Dean could respond, Mike, Damien and Kevin came over and sat down with the group. Seth tensed when Mike sat down next to him. “Hey,” Mike said, sending his other two friends a smirk. “Wanna see something cool?” “Um…sure,” Finn said weirdly, sending his friends a strange look. He and Phil met the three once and weren’t really a big fan, so they though it was weird that they random decided to come over. Kevin snickered and pulled out a magazine. Not just any magazine, a magazine that definitely had a naked woman on the front. “I found this in my Dad’s room,” Kevin said, as if everything about this was fucking normal. Seth flushed furiously while Dean, Phil and Finn all looked away. “Dude, why do you have that here?” Phil said, sighing deeply. “You could get in trouble.” “Yeah, that’s not cool,” Dean added, causing Damien to snort. “What? It’s just a sex magazine.” “A…what?” “You know…sex? That’s kinda what this is,” Mike said. Seth turned his head and gave his brother a confused look, then to his other two friends. Dean was the only one that gave him the look back. “Wait a second…you don’t know what sex is?!” Mike started laughing; Kevin and Damien joined in. Seth clenched his jaw and rolled his eyes. “Whatever, we’re trying to eat.” “No no no wait! I’ll tell you what it is!” “Dude, no,” Phil protested. “If they’re parents wanted them to know, they would know already. Don’t tell them.” “Shut up,” Kevin said, flipping through the magazine. We can do what we want.” So, the explanation began. Mike, Kevin, and Damien told them everything they knew, and by the end, both Seth and Dean wanted to curl up and disappear. Sex, in their mind, is absolutely disgusting. _Who would want to do that?_ As soon as the bell rung, Seth, Dean, Phil, and Finn were quick to ditch those weirdos and made a mad dash towards the playground. “That was gross,” Dean said, gagging a little. “I never want to hear about sex again.” Finn cringed. “They must have added some stuff too, because my Dad didn’t tell me most of that.” Phil shivered. “I didn’t like the magazine either. It made me uncomfortable seeing people naked like that.” Dean gagged again. “Let’s just go play, okay?” I don’t want to think about it anymore.” Seth didn’t follow them when they started to leave. “Hey! Um…I gotta go to the bathroom. I’ll um, meet you guys when I come back.” “Are you okay?” Dean whispered, looking at his brother worriedly. Seth swallowed. “Y-yeah. I just really have to pee.” He left before his brother could respond, asking a monitor to go back inside and quickly walking to the bathroom. He locked himself inside a stall and sat down, his head in his hands. He began to think about what Mike, Kevin and Damien told him, even the extra stuff they added. He then began to think about HER, even though he really didn’t want to. All the stuff those three told him…it sounded familiar. And the more he thought about it, the more he began to think, because his conclusion scared him.

_I think she tried to have sex with me._

_**Later that night:** _

  
“Okay, I’ve already sent the invite the kids’ other friends for next weekend, we just have to buy invite so they can invite their new friends,” Randy stated as he cleaned up around his and Roman’s bedroom. “Did you tell your parents that it’s next weekend?” Roman asked, adjusting his laptop on his lap. “Yes. They’ll be here early though, to help set up.” “I hope the kids treat them better this time.” Before Randy could respond, there was a knock on their bedroom door. Randy opened the door to reveal Seth and Dean on the other side, holding hands and looking a little skeptical. “Hey,” Randy said. “What’s wrong? It’s past your bedtime.” Dean pulled Seth in and frown a little. “Um…we have a question.” Roman raised an eyebrow. “Are you doing this just to stay up later?” “N-no,” Seth mumbled. “It’s…we were told something at school today and we have a question about it.” Randy looked at them weirdly. “Okay…what is it?” 

"What's sex?"

Randy and Roman's eyes went wide.

_Oh shit._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't go into detail when Mike, Kevin and Damien were talking about 'you-know-what' because 1) Idk how kids talk about it with their friends lol, and 2) I didn't want to write about a bunch of 10 year olds talking about sex. That's just seems weird to me.
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Let me know what you think!
> 
> Up next: The talk :)


	32. The Talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...I got promoted at work, which means longer hours. This update was late though because I definitely had this chapter written and edited LAST week lol. Sorry about that.
> 
> I hope everyone is staying safe out there!

“Why did you convince me that we didn’t need that adoption support group anymore? This would have been the PERFECT topic to bring up!” “Shut up and look through the book Roman!” “I’ve looked through all three and they all say the same thing! Don’t jump to conclusions, keep your answers short and simple, keep the conversation open, and check their understanding. I don’t know what you want me to do here.” Randy sighed and set his book down on the coffee table. Last night…they were not expecting Seth and Dean to asked them about sex. They definitely thought they had about a year before they truly became curious, but that clearly didn’t happen. “How did your parents teach you about the birds and the bees when you were younger?” Roman asked, setting his books down on the table and sitting next to his husband. Randy grunted. “They didn’t. They gave me a book about puberty and told me if I had questions, to ask my health teacher.” Roman tilted his head back. “I like the idea of the puberty book. But we still gotta talk to them about it. My Dad was the one who gave me the talk. It was really awkward but…it helped. They kept that line of communication open so when I finally came out, I wasn’t afraid of their reaction.” Randy hummed and looked at his watch. “We have to go pick up the kids in two hours. Let’s got find a book for the boys and we’ll give them the talk after Cody and Bayley go to bed.” “Sounds like a plan.”

_“We’ll talk about it tomorrow, okay?”_

That’s what Papa told them, but Seth had wanted answers that night! He wanted to know if what SHE did to him was a form of sex, and he wanted to understand why it’s bad. Mike, Damien, and Kevin made sex sound weird, but they said all adults did it. Problem is, they described how men and women have sex. Key word; MEN. Seth was three when she hurt him that way, a damn toddler. He just wanted to understand. 

  
Dean was on the same dilemma, but on a different route. It was hard not to think about it, especially since Dad and Papa got all flustered when Seth asked about sex. It seemed like some sort of secret. But it’s not, because Mike, Damien and Kevin know about it. Finn and Phil do too! Why didn’t he and Seth know about it until Mike told them? He had hoped that Dad and Papa would explain right then and there, but Papa said that it would take too long, and that they would talk about it the next day. He wouldn’t say he was excited to learn about it the right way, simply curious. Seth was curious too, but kind of…scared. Dean hoped that whatever Dad and Papa told them would ease Seth’s fear. _What’s he so scared about anyway?_

_**Later that night** _

  
As nervous as Randy and Roman are, they both knew they needed to calm down as to not scare Seth and Dean. Book in hand, they headed downstairs to their room. The boys had been instructed to shower and get their pajamas on. Upon arriving, the men could feel the weird energy in the air. Seth and Dean were laying in Dean’s bed, looking at pictures in Cody’s book of sea animals. They looked over when they here their door open, quickly sitting up. “Is it um…time to talk now?” Seth asked, playing with his fingers. Roman awkwardly cleared his throat. “Y-yeah, it is.” Randy swallowed hard as he and Roman sat in the boys’ desk chairs, facing them on the bed. “So…first question; who told you guys about sex at school?” Randy asked. Dean frowned. “Mike, Damien and Kevin. They’re the ones we met at the park before school started again.” Roman nodded thoughtfully. “What did they tell you?” The boys both gave each other an uneasy look, but it was Seth who decided to speak up. “That…that a penis goes in a vagina and you go back and forth until white stuff comes out. That’s how you make a baby.” “That’s all?” Dean swallowed hard. “N-no. They told us other things, like…like how boys can make the white stuff come out too, but with their hands.” Seth made a face, but Dean continued. “And that boys can have sex with each other by…” Dean’s face flushed red. “By putting their penis’ inside each other.” “No,” Randy quickly said, eyes wide. “The one about boys having sex _that_ way, is wrong.” Dean’s shoulders slumped. “Okay good, because the pee-hole isn’t big and I’m pretty sure it would hurt.” Seth couldn’t help but giggle at that while Randy and Roman shook their heads amusedly. “Okay um…what else were you told?” Seth lifted his head in thought. “Um…they said our penis will get bigger.” Seth scrunch up his nose. “Damien said the bigger the better.” Randy really wished he weren’t around his kids at the moment because he REALLY wanted to burst out laughing. Roman’s eye twitched. “…anything else?” Dean bit his lip. “Kevin…Kevin said girls can put things… _inside_ their vaginas but I don’t understand…” He looked at his fathers helplessly. “I don’t really understand what they were talking about.” “I don’t either.” Seth said, sighing softly. “It all sounded so…gross.” Dean nodded in agreement. The Dads looked at each other. “Well…some of the things they said is true.” Randy said, turning back to look at his sons. “Like the baby one? That’s true. That’s how babies are made.” Seth and Dean looked clueless, so Roman finally showed them the book they bought earlier that day. “Guy Stuff: The Body Book for Boys, by Cara Natterson,” Seth read out loud, causing Dean to flush again. “Is this a book about sex and stuff?” He quickly asked. “Because Kevin showed us a sex magazine and it had a lot of naked people in it.” “He **what**?!?” Seth, Dean and Randy all flinched at Roman’s raised voice. “He…he showed us at lunch,” Seth said quietly, his shoulders tense. “We didn’t want to look but he showed us anyway.” Roman took a calming breath and sighed. “Sorry, that’s just…something that you shouldn’t have seen. Not until your older, at least.” Dean gagged. “I never want to see that again.” “Me too,” Seth quickly agreed. Randy smiled to himself. _Good; I don’t want my babies to grow up yet._ “What’s in the book?” Dean curiously asked. Randy and Roman took that as a cue to start having the real talk with them. They took turns reading parts of the book and answered all the questions Seth and Dean asked. Unfortunately, they also asked how gay sex worked, so they (reluctantly) explained that too. And of COURSE, Dean, being the curious child, he is, asked if they had sex. What could they do, lie to them? They could have, but one of the parenting books Randy and Roman read said to not lie if your child(ren) asked because if they find out you lied later, they might have trust issues. So, they answered yes and tried not to laugh at the horrified expressions on Seth and Dean’s faces. By the time the discussion was finished, it was an hour and a half past their bedtime; the boys looked like they would pass out any second. “Okay kiddos, I think it’s time for bed,” Roman said softly, standing up and kissing their heads. Randy did the same. “Did you guys understand what we talked about?” Seth nodded sleepily while Dean rubbed his eyes. “Sex still sounds gross, but I understand.” Randy chuckled. “Alright. Do you have any more questions?” Dean shook his head, but Seth froze, swallowing hard. “N-no, I’m good,” he answered hesitantly. Randy and Roman of course noticed this but decided not to press. _Keep the line of communication open_. “That’s okay,” Roman hummed. “But if you two ever need to talk to us about something, whether it be about what we just discussed, or something else, don’t be scared, okay?” Both boys nodded and laid down. Dean curled in a ball and Seth stretched out, his limbs pressing against his brother’s back. Randy smiled. “Seth? Don’t you want to sleep in your own bed?” Seth groaned. “Too lazy to get up, Dad.” Roman laughed. “Okay well, goodnight kiddos.” Randy and Roman left, turning off the light and shutting the door. It was silent for about ten minutes before Seth spoke up again. “Dean?” The auburn-haired boy shifted. “Yeah?” “Do you…do you remember what I told you? About what my old foster mom did to me? The one that went to jail?” Dean turned around to face his brother. “Yeah. What’s wrong?” Seth bit his lip.

“I think…I think I understand what she did to me now, and why’s it was wrong.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did anyone's parent/s or guardian/s give them "The Talk" while growing up? Because I learned about all that through health classes and fanfiction lmfao
> 
> Except for my menstrual cycle. My mom talked to me about that.
> 
> Next up will be some insight on Cody and Bayley's school life, along with Dean's journaling and Seth's inner turmoil. After that will be the party :)


	33. Near and Far

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No excuse for why this chapter took so long, just that 2020 fucking sucks and I'm over it.
> 
> Also, I hope everyone is remaining safe with this covid stuff and the wildfires going on.
> 
> Anyways, on with this late ass update!

“Babe, why are you looking at clothes? You’re supposed to be looking for a slip n’ slide for the kids’ party this weekend,” Roman chuckled as he adjusted his phone screen. Randy grinned at the camera and held up a lavender and white striped turtleneck. “Okay, but look at how cute this shirt is! Can you imagine Bayley wearing this with her black overall dress? She’ll look adorable! Or this!” He then presented a navy blue button down shirt covered in green dinosaurs. “Cody would love this!” Roman laid his cheek on his fist and smiled softly. “He would. What about the other two boys?” Randy hummed as he started walking again. “I think I found something for them. Seth and Dean like matching sometimes, so I think they’d get a kick out of this.” Randy flipped the camera so he could show Roman two light gray hoodies with the blue NASA symbol in the middle. Roman chuckled. “The boys would love that.” Randy flipped the camera back around and smirked at the screen. “Hell yeah they will. That’s why I’m getting them.” Roman groaned, shaking his head amusedly. “Babe, what did I just say? You’re supposed to be shopping for the party this weekend, not getting the kids more clothes.” “But I love shopping for the kids,” Randy pouted, causing the samoan man to laugh over the phone. “Get each of them a hoodie, and that’s it. I expect to see a slip n’ slide when I get home.” Randy sighed. “Why only hoodies? Can I get them more shoes too?” “What? No! We just got them new clothes for school barley a month ago! They don’t need any more clothes. You’re lucky I’m letting you get them each a hoodie.” Randy rolled his eyes and smiled. “Fine, fine. I’ll do as I’m told.”

**Cody**

“My Papa wants to know if you guys have any alle….aller-gies.” Cody said slowly as he finished his coloring sheet. It’s the end of the day in Mrs. Caruso’s class and with nothing else to do, the kids were granted some free time. Some of the students played board games, while others decided to read. Cody, Enzo, Kelly, Zack (Ryder), Teddy and Layla decided to sit at the art table and color. Kelly tilted her head in confusion. “What are allergies?” “It's food that you can’t eat, I think,” Layla answered, Zack nodding next to her. “Oh!” Well, I don’t like broccoli,” Kelly responded, making a face. Cody giggled.”No, it's food that makes you feel icky after you eat it.” “Pineapples,” Enzo answered quickly. “They make my mouth itchy and my tummy hurt. My mommy said I’m not allowed to eat them anymore cuz that’s not ‘posed to happen.” Everyone nodded in understanding. Ted, who had been sitting quietly and not really paying attention, slowly sat up and lifted his head. “M-milk,” he said softly. “My nanny s-said that I’m lack-toes-in-taller-ant and can’t drink milk. It makes me sick.” Zack’s eyes went wide. “What do you have with your cereal?” Cody gasped. “Can you eat ice cream?” Ted flushed under the attention and ducked his head a little. “I have a d-different kind of milk, so my tummy doesn’t hurt. And...I’ve never tried ice cream.” The group went silent, causing Ted to flush even more. “That’s a problem,” Cody whispered dramatically, then grinned. “My Daddy is really really good with problems. I bet he can help!” After that, the group moved on to talking about their favorite superheroes. Cody glanced over at Ted a couple times. He was a really quiet kid and seemed sad all the time, but he didn’t miss the small smile that appeared on his face every time he looked over. It made him happy that he made the gloomy kid smile, even if it was just for a couple seconds.

_I hope Daddy can find ice cream that Teddy can eat._

**Bayley**

Bayley sighed softly as she put her dolls down, her shoulders slumped. With homework all finished, Cody napping, and Seth and Dean playing video games (as always), she didn’t have anyone to play with. She could ask her Daddy and Papa but… she huffed. “They’re trying,” she mumbled to herself, putting her toys aside and standing up. The past couple weeks, Randy and Roman have been taking time out of their day to spend time with her; her and her alone. No interruptions from the boys, and no broken promises. Bayley loved it. But it was never for long. It only lasted about 45 minutes before they had to go back to work on the computer, or until the boys needed one of them. But her brothers are busy right now, so maybe she’ll get some uninterrupted time with one of them.

Walking downstairs, she heard clanking in the kitchen and immediately knew that Daddy was about to start dinner. She then went to the living room and spotted Roman sitting on the couch with his feet up, laptop in hand. Bayley’s shoulders dropped a little. He’s busy. She was about to walk out when his voice stopped her. “Bayley? What are you doing?” She turned back around to face him and chewed her lip. “I’m bored and um...I was going to ask if you could play with me or something but you’re working and-” “Princess, I’m never too busy for you. You know that,” Roman said gently, sending her a small smile. “I’m not really working, just re-reading something. What do you want to play?” Bayley didn’t expect him to say yes, but she beamed and bounced a little in her spot. “Actually, I need help with something.” Roman raised an eyebrow. “Yeah? What’s that?” Bayley climbed on the couch and sat on her knees, facing him. “Well, Daddy said when we first moved in that I can have a vegetable garden but we need to look up vegetables that grow in the fall and winter,” Bayley flushed a little. “A-and we haven’t...done that yet and…” She trailed off, looking at her Papa with a pout on her face. “I need help with that. B-but we can play if you don’t want to do that.” Roman scrunched up his nose playfully and pulled her to his side, kissing her head. “Of course I’ll help babygirl. Your garden is going to be the best garden ever!” He sat her on his lap and placed his laptop on her, clicking onto a different tab. Bayley squirmed in excitement. She had been building up the courage to ask for help because Randy had promised her a garden, but she didn’t want to pressure him. Now that the research portion was happening, she was giddy again. Roman hummed as he clicked on a google link. “Now...lets see what vegetables can survive the Fall weather…”

Bayley decided on Spinach, lettuce and tomatoes. Roman promised that he would buy all the materials this week and help her plant them on Sunday. 

**Dean**

Dean looked up from his journal when Randy and Roman walked into his and Seth’s bedroom. They did this every night. Before Dean showers, he writes in his journal, and while Seth is showering, Randy and Roman come down to talk to him about what he wrote. They don’t always make him talk; that was the number one rule for his journals. If he doesn’t want to talk, they can’t make him. They also can’t look through his journals either. Today though, he wanted to talk. He has a problem at school and he’s hoping to get advice from them. “Hey champ,”Randy said, sitting next to him and ruffling his hair. Roman sat on the other side and pulled him into a side hug. “Do you want to talk about what you wrote in your journals today?” Dean sat up slightly and nodded. “Just my normal journal. I didn’t dream last night, I don’t think.” Randy and Roman gave each other a surprised look over Dean’s head. Dean didn’t really like talking about his journal; he usually only talked about his dream journal or how his day went. Randy smiled. “Alright, what’s in your journal tonight?” “I don’t really want to read it, can I just tell you what it is about?” “Of course,” Roman said quickly. “Well, um...so, do you remember Mike, Damien and Kevin?” They nodded. “I...uh…remember how you guys said we had to invite new friends? Seth invited Phil, Kofi and Summer. He wanted to invite Wade too but he’s not going to be in town this weekend. I invited Lio, and Lilian and...Mike.” Dean chewed his lip and looked up at Randy, then Roman. “I didn’t only want to invite two people, because that’s lame but...I kind of wish I didn’t invite him now. He’s kinda mean. Should I...should I like, uninvite him or something?” The two men were silent for a couple seconds before Roman spoke up. “It’s a little too late for that bud.” Dean sighed. “It would be rude to uninvite someone, it might hurt his feelings. “But he’s mean to Seth sometimes,” Dean protested quietly. “I don’t...I don’t even know why I invited him. Bayley and Cody both invited four people, and Seth invited three! It would be so embarrassing if I had only invited two! It would look like I don’t know how to make friends.” “That’s not true,” Randy said, running his fingers through the boy’s hair. “You have Finn, and Phil.” “I met Finn though Seth, and Phil through Finn,” Dean mumbled, slumping his shoulders. “If it wasn’t for Seth, I wouldn’t have any friends.” “Lio and Lilian are your friends, yeah? And you didn’t meet them through Seth.” “Before them,” Dean whined, flopping backwards and covering his eyes with his hands. “Seth makes friends so easily but it’s so hard for me sometimes.” Roman smiled softly. “And that’s okay. You’’ve practically grown up with Seth so it makes sense that he was your only friend. But Dean, it takes time to get used to change. It's been a really rough year for you, you don’t have to be so hard on yourself just because you find it hard to make friends on your own. You have the rest of the school year to grow and figure out what’s best for you. Don’t stress out about it. For now, enjoy the fact that you made two friends without Seth; that’s a victory in itself.” Dean smiled and sat up slowly. Papa always knows what to say. “Thank you.” “No, thank you!” Randy chuckled, pulling the boy into a side hug. “That’s the most we’ve gotten out of you since you’ve started writing in these journals. We’re so proud of you kiddo.” Dean blushed and leaned into the hug. _Maybe these journals aren’t so bad._  
  
 **Seth**

_I have to tell them. They have to know._

_But she said it was a secret. No one can know._

_But it was sex, I think. Dad and Papa said sex is for grown ups and grown ups only._

_She’s a grown up and I was little. I’m still little._

_But...but what if they think it was my fault?_

_I didn’t say no._

_Well, I didn’t after she started hitting me._

_But I still didn’t say no._

_Maybe if I kept saying no, she would have stopped._

_I should have told someone. Maybe she did it to other kids before me._

_It's my fault._

  
Seth crawled into bed with Dean that night, a sob stuck in his throat.

_I have to tell Dad and Papa. I promised Dean I would._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up, the party with some very special guests ;)


End file.
